President Donald Trump files a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury, alleging leaked tax returns caused reputational and financial harm.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the US Internal Revenue Service seeking USD 10 billion over alleged leaked tax returns.
The suit, filed in Miami federal court, claims the IRS and US Treasury Department failed in their duty to safeguard confidential tax information.
Trump filed the action in his personal capacity alongside his sons Eric and Donald Jr. and The Trump Organization.
The lawsuit states the leak caused “reputational and financial harm” and unfairly tarnished their business reputations.
It alleges former IRS employee Charles “Chaz” Littlejohn leaked the documents to the press between May 2019 and September 2020.
Littlejohn pleaded guilty in 2023 to releasing Trump’s tax returns and is currently serving a five-year sentence.
The New York Times reported in 2020 that Trump paid only USD 750 in federal income tax in 2016 and 2017.
The report also stated he paid no federal income tax at all for 10 of the previous 15 years.
Trump had repeatedly refused to release his tax returns as a candidate, breaking with precedent.
This is not the first legal claim Trump has filed against the federal government he oversees.
The New York Times reported he previously sought USD 230 million from the Justice Department over investigations into him.
Those investigations concerned mishandling classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
