Trump sues IRS and Treasury for $10bn over leaked tax returns
US President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the US Treasury Department, accusing the agencies of failing to protect his confidential tax information from being illegally leaked to the media.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Florida, lists Trump, his eldest sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization as plaintiffs. Trump is bringing the suit in his personal capacity, not as president.
According to court filings, the plaintiffs allege that their tax returns were unlawfully accessed and disclosed between 2018 and 2020 by a former IRS contractor, Charles Edward Littlejohn. The documents were later shared with media outlets including The New York Times and ProPublica, which published reports on Trump’s finances and tax payments.
Trump and his family claim the disclosures caused significant reputational and financial damage, public embarrassment, and negatively affected their business interests and public standing. The lawsuit argues that the IRS and Treasury Department failed in their legal duty to safeguard taxpayer information and either acted negligently or failed to put adequate protections in place.
Littlejohn, who worked as a contractor through consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, pleaded guilty in 2023 to unlawfully disclosing tax return information. In 2024, he was sentenced to five years in prison. Prosecutors described the breach as one of the most serious leaks of confidential taxpayer data in the history of the IRS. The stolen records included not only Trump’s tax information but also data belonging to other wealthy Americans.
Media reports based on the leaked records claimed that Trump paid little or no federal income tax in several years before his presidency, sparking widespread political controversy and congressional scrutiny. Trump has consistently dismissed those reports as misleading and politically motivated.
The lawsuit comes days after the Treasury Department announced it had terminated contracts worth more than $20 million with Booz Allen Hamilton, citing failures in safeguarding sensitive taxpayer data. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the government would not tolerate lapses that compromise confidential information, though he is not named as a defendant in the case.
It is highly unusual for a sitting US president to sue federal agencies that fall under the executive branch. However, Trump has previously filed large lawsuits against government bodies and media organisations, arguing that he has been unfairly targeted and damaged by leaks and reporting.
The IRS and Treasury Department had not issued immediate public responses to the lawsuit at the time of reporting. Legal experts say the case could take years to resolve and may raise broader questions about government liability, data security, and the handling of sensitive taxpayer information.
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