The IRS scandal: From Obama’s targeting of conservatives to Biden’s leaks—a legacy of government abuse
By willowt // 2025-02-27
Copy
 
  • Under the Biden administration, the IRS illegally leaked private taxpayer information of over 405,000 Americans, including former President Donald Trump, revealing a massive breach of trust.
  • This scandal echoes the Obama-era IRS targeting of conservative groups and individuals, raising questions about political bias and misuse of power within the agency.
  • An IRS contract worker stole and leaked tax returns and financial data to left-wing media outlets, leading to his conviction and imprisonment.
  • The scandal highlights issues with the IRS's handling of the breach, including delayed disclosure of its full extent and lack of transparency.
  • These IRS scandals expose a crisis of confidence in government institutions and underscore the need for accountability and respect for privacy in the enforcement of tax laws.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the agency tasked with collecting taxes and ensuring compliance with federal tax laws, has once again found itself at the center of a massive scandal. This time, under the Biden administration, the IRS leaked the private taxpayer information of more than 405,000 Americans—including former President Donald Trump. The shocking revelation, disclosed in a letter from Acting IRS Commissioner Douglas O’Donnell to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), confirms what many conservatives have long suspected: the IRS has become a weaponized tool of the federal government, used to target political opponents and undermine public trust. This latest scandal is not an isolated incident. It follows a troubling pattern of IRS abuse that began under the Obama administration, when conservative groups and individuals were systematically targeted for their political beliefs. The parallels between these two administrations are impossible to ignore, raising serious questions about the integrity of the IRS and the Biden administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

The Biden IRS leak: A breach of trust on an unprecedented scale

The scandal began in late 2019 when Charles Littlejohn, an IRS contract worker, illegally accessed and stole tax returns and financial information for thousands of Americans, including President Trump and other high-profile individuals. Littlejohn, who worked for consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, leaked the stolen data to left-wing media outlets such as The New York Times and ProPublica. These outlets used the information to publish stories targeting billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett and Peter Thiel, as well as to reignite the Democratic Party’s obsession with Trump’s tax returns. Littlejohn’s actions were not just a breach of trust—they were a criminal violation of federal law. In October 2023, he pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax return information and was sentenced to five years in prison, the maximum penalty for his crimes. Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri of the Justice Department’s criminal division stated, “Charles Littlejohn abused his position as a consultant at the Internal Revenue Service by disclosing thousands of Americans’ federal tax returns and other private financial information to news organizations. He violated his responsibility to safeguard the sensitive information that was entrusted to his care, and now he is a convicted felon.” Despite Littlejohn’s conviction, the full scope of his leaks was not immediately clear. Initially, the IRS claimed that only 70,000 taxpayers were affected. However, in February 2025, the agency revised that number to 405,427, with 89% of the victims being business entities. This staggering discrepancy raises serious questions about the Biden administration’s handling of the scandal. Why did it take years for the IRS to disclose the true scale of the breach? And why were so many Americans left in the dark about the theft of their private financial information?

A history of abuse: The Obama IRS and the targeting of conservatives

The Biden IRS leak is eerily reminiscent of the Obama-era IRS scandal, in which conservative groups and individuals were systematically targeted for their political beliefs. During the Obama administration, the IRS subjected Tea Party and other conservative organizations to invasive scrutiny, delaying their applications for tax-exempt status and demanding excessive documentation. The scandal, which came to light in 2013, revealed a disturbing pattern of political bias within the agency. At the time, Lois Lerner, then-director of the IRS Exempt Organizations Unit, infamously apologized for the agency’s actions, claiming they were the result of “poor judgment” rather than political motivation. However, subsequent investigations revealed that the targeting was deliberate and widespread. The Obama administration’s failure to hold anyone accountable for these abuses set a dangerous precedent—one that has now been repeated under the Biden administration. Rep. Jim Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee and has been leading the investigation into the Biden IRS leaks, drew a direct connection between the two scandals. “The Obama IRS targeted conservatives. The Biden IRS leaked your data,” Jordan wrote on X. His statement underscores the alarming reality that the IRS has become a tool for political retribution, rather than a neutral arbiter of tax law.

The silence of the Left: Hypocrisy in the face of abuse

What is perhaps most striking about the Biden IRS scandal is the deafening silence from the left. The same progressive activists and organizations that have loudly protested the prospect of government overreach and the misuse of financial data have been conspicuously quiet about the Biden administration’s abuses. This hypocrisy is not lost on conservatives, who have long warned about the dangers of an unchecked federal bureaucracy. Littlejohn’s actions were celebrated by some on the left as a form of “whistleblowing,” despite the fact that he broke the law and violated the privacy of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Progressive outlets like ProPublica used the stolen data to push their agenda, further eroding public trust in the IRS and the federal government.

Why this matters: A crisis of confidence in government

The IRS scandals under the Obama and Biden administrations are not just isolated incidents of government misconduct—they are symptoms of a deeper crisis of confidence in our institutions. When the agency responsible for enforcing tax laws is used as a political weapon, it undermines the very foundation of our democracy. The American people deserve a government that respects their privacy and upholds the rule of law. Instead, they have been subjected to a decade of IRS abuses, from the targeting of conservatives under Obama to the massive data leak under Biden. These scandals serve as a stark reminder of the dangers of unchecked government power and the urgent need for accountability. As Rep. Jordan continues his investigation, one thing is clear: the IRS must be held to a higher standard. The American people deserve answers, and they deserve a government that works for them—not against them. Until then, the legacy of IRS abuse will continue to cast a long shadow over our nation’s trust in its leaders and institutions. Sources include: AmGreatness.com NationalReview.com Juicidary.House.gov
Copy