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Op-Ed | Rolling Stone | December 18, 2024

Biden Must Free the Man Who Exposed Trump’s Tax Avoidance

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Biden Must Free the Man Who Exposed Trump’s Tax Avoidance

Joe Biden must commute the sentence of Charles Littlejohn, the IRS whistleblower who leaked Donald Trump’s tax records, before Trump can get revenge.

This article was originally published by Rolling Stone. Read the full piece here.

President Joe Biden should commute the sentence of Charles Littlejohn, the former IRS contractor who was sentenced in January 2024 to five years in prison. By disclosing the federal tax records of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and other billionaires to news organizations, Littlejohn enabled vital reporting about how the wealthiest people in the United States end up paying less in taxes than public school teachers and firefighters.

We’re urging people to urge the president to act while he still has the power to do so. Our website, freecharleslittlejohn.com, facilitates the process of sending an email or a letter to the president asking him to commute Littlejohn’s sentence. 

Despite performing a valuable public service, Littlejohn received the harshest possible punishment. While sentencing guidelines recommended four to 10 months in prison, District Judge Ana Reyes gave Littlejohn the statutory maximum sentence of five years. Remarkably, this punishment is far more severe than what wealthy Americans convicted of tax evasion typically face. Many cases that involve tax evasion do not even lead to a criminal indictment. Other cases have not resulted in jail time… Read the rest of the piece here.

The above photo is courtesy of Friends of Charles Littlejohn.

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