Nationwide — President Trump is suing the IRS and the Treasury Department for $10 billion, arguing that the federal government failed to protect his most sensitive financial records. The suit says the leak damaged his reputation, business interests, and public standing after private information reached the media.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court in Florida by Trump, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization. According to ABC News, the filing accuses the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department of allowing an unlawful disclosure of protected tax information during Trump’s first term in office.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs say the agencies had a clear legal duty to safeguard tax records but did not meet that responsibility. They argue the lapse allowed unauthorized access and the public release of sensitive financial details.
The case points to Charles Littlejohn, a former IRS contractor, as the source of the leak. In 2023, Littlejohn pleaded guilty to stealing tax data linked to Trump and thousands of wealthy Americans and sharing it with two news organizations in 2019 and 2020.
A federal judge later sentenced Littlejohn to five years in prison. At his 2024 sentencing, the judge described the disclosures as an attack on the nation’s constitutional system.
Trump and the other plaintiffs say the disclosures caused serious financial losses and public embarrassment. The lawsuit claims the leak harmed business interests and negatively affected their public standing.
The IRS and the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.