Trump tax leaker takes 5th in House inquiry into Biden DOJ plea deal

FIRST ON FOX: A antheral serving successful situation for leaking President Donald Trump’s and thousands of others’ confidential taxation records precocious asserted his Fifth Amendment close to the House Judiciary Committee and declined to attest earlier the panel, Fox News Digital has learned.

A nationalist defender wrote to the Republican-led committee connected behalf of Charles Littlejohn, a erstwhile IRS contractor serving retired a five-year condemnation successful Illinois, that due to the fact that Littlejohn was appealing his sentence, helium did not person to attest earlier Congress.

"The grounds that you question from Mr. Littlejohn straight implicates his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination," the nationalist defender wrote connected Saturday. "Mr. Littlejohn validly exercises that Constitutional close successful declining to testify."

EX-IRS CONTRACTOR WHO LEAKED TRUMP'S TAX RETURNS SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON

Former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn, left, was seen Monday aft a justice sentenced him to 5 years successful situation for leaking the taxation returns of erstwhile President Donald Trump and different affluent people. (Fox News | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Republican-led House committee is investigating a plea woody Littlejohn reached with the Biden administration's Department of Justice (DOJ) successful 2023. Littlejohn admitted to prosecutors arsenic portion of the plea bargain that helium carried retired an elaborate strategy to entree and disclose Trump’s taxation accusation and the taxation returns of thousands of the wealthiest U.S. citizens to the New York Times and ProPublica. 

Among those targeted were Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett.

In return, Littlejohn was charged with and pleaded blameworthy to a azygous number of unauthorized disclosure of taxation returns and received the maximum 60-month condemnation for the charge.

At the time, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, an appointee of erstwhile President Joe Biden, questioned the contented of DOJ’s determination to complaint Littlejohn with 1 complaint erstwhile thousands had been affected by his actions, saying she was "perplexed" and "troubled" by the plea deal.

"The information that helium is facing 1 felony count, I person nary words for," Reyes said during his sentencing hearing.

IRS LEAKER SOUGHT CONSULTANT ROLE WITH EXPRESS PURPOSE OF LEAKING TRUMP'S TAX RETURNS, DOJ SAYS

Former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn was seen Monday aft a justice sentenced him to 5 years successful situation for leaking the taxation returns of erstwhile President Donald Trump and different affluent people. (Fox News)

Many Republicans besides piled onto the Biden DOJ for the perceived leniency of the plea agreement. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said during the sentencing proceeding it "makes nary sense" and "should beryllium called the plea woody of the century."

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) criticized prosecutors for failing "to deter aboriginal IRS employees from leaking delicate payer information."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) wrote a missive Tuesday to the Trump administration's DOJ, obtained by Fox News Digital, requesting each communications and different records surrounding Littlejohn’s prosecution and accusing the anterior administration’s DOJ of failing to supply "any substantive" information.

Jordan said helium learned from the IRS that Littlejohn's breach was acold much expansive than what had been established successful court.

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"After President Trump took office, the IRS disclosed to the Committee that implicit 405,000 taxpayers were victims of Mr. Littlejohn’s leaks and that ‘89 [percent] of the taxpayers [we]re concern entities,'" Jordan wrote. "While it is present wide that Mr. Littlejohn’s behaviour violated the privateness of hundreds of thousands of American taxpayers, it remains unclear wherefore the Biden-Harris Justice Department chose to let him to plead blameworthy to lone a azygous felony count."

A DOJ spokesperson declined to remark connected Jordan’s request.