Five Years

This news from the Washington Post this morning:


"Ex-IRS contractor who leaked Trump’s tax returns sentenced to 5 years"


Five years in prison for daring to let the American people know that their sitting president was a common thief.


As to Trump himself, who, as this leaked information helped reveal, stole tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars from the IRS and the American people through a decades-long criminal scheme, well, no prison time for him, and so far he hasn't had to pay a penny in penalties for his theft.


Seems about right to me, I guess.


The judge in this case (unbelievably appointed by Joe Biden) had this to say:


"U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes said Littlejohn had “pulled off the biggest heist in IRS history”


He stole some documents.  Bigger than the hundreds of millions that Trump and his family stole, I guess.


"Justice Department officials said Littlejohn’s disclosures were unprecedented in U.S. history."


Not unprecedented, I guess was the theft of a vast sum of money by a billionaire.  That happens almost every day, I guess, so it isn't worth the judge's outrage.


"Littlejohn was deeply influenced by The Triumph of Injustice: How the Rich Dodge Taxes and How to Make Them Pay, by economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman.


“The 2019 book set forth a systematic analysis of the U.S. tax system, concluding that for the first time in a century, billionaires almost universally paid lower effective tax rates than the average American taxpayer,” attorneys Lisa Manning and Noah Cherry said in a court filing."


Absolutely fine, but attempting to let the American people know about that?  Off with his head.  As to Mr. Saez and Mr. Zuchman, "how to make them pay?"  Apparently there isn't any way to do that.

Comments

Magpie said…
This reminds me of a case here in Australia. The particulars are quite different but the core moral issue is similar... The person who leaked Trump's Tax Returns - by that action - revealed wrongdoing within the context of an organisation that theoretically serves the American people. He should therefore be considered a whistleblower, and whistleblowers are meant to be afforded protections. In our case here, an employee of our equivalent of your IRS attempted to have unethical behaviour within the organisation addressed. When that failed he went to the media. His life is in ruins and he still faces the prospect of being sent to prison for potentially decades for the breach of information... that information not at all related to national security and totally within the public interest. Now our guy... might eventually be exonerated... but the possibility of jail still exists and for 6 years now his life has been a mess. Potentially exonerated or not, he has still been punished... and thus other potential whistleblowers in whatever walk of life have also been warned: you do the right thing and it will cost you dearly.
January 31, 2024 at 3:56 AM
Green Eagle said…
Hi, Magpie. Haven't spoken with you in a while. I hope you and your family are doing well. The point you are making is a very valid one. Sad to say, the US does wield so much power in the world, and when we here allow our own leaders to commit abuses, the results are reflected in so many other places.
February 1, 2024 at 3:04 PM
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