HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) — The Treasury Department cut ties Monday with consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, whose employee leaked President Donald Trump’s tax returns during his first term.

The department canceled 31 contracts worth $4.8 million annually and $21 million in total obligations. Secretary Scott Bessent’s announcement came years after Charles Littlejohn, who was a contractor to the Internal Revenue Service, gave the returns of Trump and thousands of other wealthy people to The New York Times and ProPublica.

“President Trump has entrusted his cabinet to root out waste, fraud, and abuse, and canceling these contracts is an essential step to increasing Americans’ trust in government,” Bessent said.

“Booz Allen failed to implement adequate safeguards to protect sensitive data, including the confidential taxpayer information it had access to through its contracts with the Internal Revenue Service.”

Booz Allen said in a statement that it was surprised by the announcement. The firm doesn’t store any tax records on its systems and has no ability to monitor activity on government networks, it explained.

“We have consistently condemned in the strongest possible terms the actions of Charles Littlejohn, who was active with the company years ago,” the firm said. “Booz Allen has zero tolerance for violations of the law and operates under the highest ethical and professional guidelines.”

Littlejohn pleaded guilty in 2023 to disclosing tax information without authorization and was sentenced to five years imprisonment. He admitted to leaking the records of Trump and other wealthy people between 2018 and 2020, an action his lawyer claimed was rooted in good intentions.

“He committed this offense out of a deep, moral belief that the American people had a right to know the information and sharing it was the only way to effect change,” Littlejohn’s attorney said in a court filing. “He did what he thought was right at the time, but now fully acknowledges that he was wrong.”

President Donald Trump refused to release his tax returns during his first campaign, breaking a decades-long tradition. The Department of Justice said Littlejohn nonetheless violated the public’s trust by leaking the personal information of the president and thousands of other people.

“Charles Littlejohn abused his position as a consultant at the Internal Revenue Service by disclosing thousands of Americans’ federal tax returns and other private financial information to news organizations,” former Attorney General Merrick Garland said after his guilty plea. “He violated his responsibility to safeguard the sensitive information that was entrusted to his care, and now he is a convicted felon.”

Have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at rjlewis@sbgtv.com.