Republicans Demand Hearing on Massive IRS Leak of Americans’ Sensitive Information

Voice concerns over potential political acts at IRS and decreasing trust in institution

WASHINGTON—Today, House Oversight and Reform Committee Republicans, led by Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.), wrote Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) urgently calling for a hearing on the IRS leaking thousands of Americans’ sensitive tax information.

Last week, ProPublica published an article containing details of federal tax filings going back more than a decade, involving wealthy individuals from across the business and political spectrum. The unlawful disclosure of tax return information by a federal employee is a felony, and given the nature of the data, it appears it could have been leaked by a government employee.

“This Committee has a history of conducting strong oversight over government officials at the IRS who abused their position for political gain while thwarting Congressional accountability and oversight. We therefore urge you to hold a hearing with Biden Administration officials to understand who is responsible for these leaks of sensitive tax information from the IRS. The Committee must also determine what efforts, if any, the Administration is taking to prevent this from ever happening again,” wrote the Republicans.

This letter comes after Ranking Member Comer, along with House Committee on the Judiciary Ranking Member Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Committee on the Administration Ranking Member Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to provide a briefing on investigative efforts to bring those responsible to justice and provide all documents and communications related to enforcing and investigating the leak of tax records. DOJ has acknowledged receipt of the letter.

The letter to Chairwoman Maloney is available here.