U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NM) asked President Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent if he intended to give the 400,000 taxpayers who (along with President Trump) had their personal tax information leaked in 2018 the same immunity as Trump and his family received.
[NOTE: In January, President Trump and his family sued the IRS for $10 billion over the leak — an independent contractor at the IRS who leaked the information is currently serving time in prison for the federal crime. When the President reached a settlement of the lawsuit last week, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the DOJ would protect the Trumps from audits of already filed returns as part of the litigation negotiations.]
As seen below at a Senate committee hearing, it took a full minute for Cortez Masto to get Bessent to clarify his role at the IRS. Bessent said there is no commissioner at the IRS, that he is not the acting Commissioner (a position he held previously), and that “when there is no commissioner those duties float up to me.”
When he added: “I am performing the duties of the commissioner,” the Senator voiced surprise, “Oh, so you are, okay.”
CORTEZ MASTO: Do you intend to give the 400,000 taxpayers who also had their information leaked the same immunity as President Trump and his family received?
BESSENT: I’m unable to provide any additional information
CORTEZ MASTO: It’s very clear you’re dodging this. It’s just… pic.twitter.com/6nrjjr6HEu
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 3, 2026
When Cortez Masto again asked Bessent if he would provide the same treatment to the 400,000 taxpayers, the Treasury Secretary said he was “unable to provide additional details,” and said the Treasury “will follow the instructions and settlement.”
Cortez Masto noted repeatedly that the settlement made between the Trumps and DOJ does not include the 400,000 taxpayers and accused the Secretary of “dodging” the question and using the settlement “as an excuse” which she called “outrageous.”
[NOTE: Former U.S. Representative Billy Long (R-MO) served as the commissioner of the IRS for two months — from June to August 2025 — before President Trump made him U.S. Ambassador to Iceland. Bessent served as acting commissioner from August 2025 to March 2026. The job has been vacant since then.]