Cruz: Whoever Leaked Private IRS Information Should Go to Jail

Katie Pavlich | June 10, 2021 2:15 PM

Earlier this week leftist non-profit Propublica published confidential tax information belonging to thousands of Americans. The timing of the leak is suspicious given President Joe Biden's current push to raise taxes. It is a violation of the IRS Taxpayer Bill of Rights to expose private information without permission from the owner.

"Taxpayers have the right to expect that any information they provide to the IRS will not be disclosed unless authorized by the taxpayer or by law. Taxpayers have the right to expect appropriate action will be taken against employees, return preparers, and others who wrongfully use or disclose taxpayer return information," the IRS website states.

The situation reminds conservatives of the IRS targeting of Tea Party organizations back in 2010, whose members were opposed to President Obama's spending and Obamacare agenda.

Republican Senator Ted Cruz is calling for the firing of the IRS employee who leaked the information and for broader tax reform that would lead to the abolishment of the agency.

"This is an abuse of power. It's a grotesque abuse of power. It's politicization of the IRS. We saw Barack Obama politicize the IRS and we're just a few months into the Biden administration and they're politicizing the IRS. And if you're sitting at home and you're thinking, 'well that's just those super rich billionaires what do I worry about that?' Listen, if their privacy of their tax filings isn't protected, your privacy isn't either and whoever leaked this illegally should be prosecuted and should go to jail," Cruz said.