1. United States
2. Letter

Dear President Biden, I urge you to commute the sentence of Charles Littlejohn, the former IRS contractor who was sentenced in January 2024 to five years in prison. Mr. Littlejohn pleaded guilty in October 2023 to disclosing the federal tax records of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and other billionaires to news organizations. By leaking this information to reputable journalists, Mr. 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. Despite performing a valuable public service, Mr. Littlejohn received an unnecessarily harsh punishment. While sentencing guidelines recommended four to 10 months in prison, federal District Judge Ana Reyes gave Mr. Littlejohn the statutory maximum sentence of five years. Judge Reyes argued that Mr. Littlejohn’s actions constituted “an attack on our constitutional democracy” even worse than the deadly assault carried out by January 6 insurrectionists. Frankly, this contention is absurd. Mr. Littlejohn’s effort to expose the extent of tax injustice in the U.S. was aimed at preserving the promise of democracy, which is imperiled by extreme inequality. In contrast, the mob that ransacked the Capitol was trying to prevent Congress from certifying your 2020 election victory. Meanwhile, President-elect Trump has pledged to pardon individuals who were convicted for participating in his January 6 coup attempt. Notably, many of the rioters received sentences shorter than Mr. Littlejohn’s and shorter than prosecutors requested. It would be a perversion of justice if they are pardoned while Mr. Littlejohn is required to serve his full sentence. Mr. Littlejohn, who began his sentence on May 1, has already spent ample time behind bars. Please, President Biden, show Mr. Littlejohn—a selfless defender of tax fairness and democracy—the grace that he deserves by commuting his sentence to time served.