IRS Employees Snoop on Celebrities, Officials in Internal Probe
Internal report reveals IRS employees accessed private tax records of high-profile individuals, sparking concerns over data security.
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A recent internal investigation has uncovered that dozens of IRS employees improperly accessed the tax records of high-profile individuals, including celebrities and government officials, according to a report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
Unauthorized Access Concerns
The TIGTA report, released on Tuesday, identified 86 suspicious accesses into the records of 30 different taxpayers by 52 IRS employees from 2022 to 2025. The report noted that these accesses included the records of United States government officials, business leaders, and entertainers.
The IRS did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. The report highlighted that the IRS’s UNAX (unauthorized access) program is not adequately addressing the risk of unauthorized access to taxpayer accounts. It also pointed out deficiencies in preventative controls, disciplinary processes, and victim notification procedures.
Employees Not Terminated Despite Unlawful Access
The report identified 22 employees who were not terminated despite accessing taxpayer records without consent or authorization. Additionally, the IRS failed to notify 175 taxpayers that their records were accessed by unauthorized employees, as employees did not follow procedures.
Another 101 taxpayers were not notified of their involvement in UNAX situations because the responsible employees had resigned or retired before disciplinary action was proposed. The TIGTA report recommended eight solutions to the IRS, including system improvements, reduced access to command codes, and guidance on the legal weight of UNAX violations.
IRS Response and Recommendations
Acting IRS Chief Privacy Officer John Walker responded to the draft report, agreeing or partially agreeing with seven of the recommendations. The agency plans to implement corrective actions in December 2026. However, the IRS disagreed with one recommendation, stating that timeliness standards for victim notifications were already in place.
The report follows President Donald Trump’s decision to drop a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury in May 2026, which had alleged the IRS failed to protect his tax records from unauthorized access in 2019. Former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn was sentenced to five years in prison in 2024 for leaking Trump’s records to media outlets.
Source: Daily Caller
