SCOOP from @woodruffbets >> Mueller's team has enlisted the IRSâ Criminal Investigations unit https://t.co/ydKfU1mno8
— Andrew Desiderio (@desiderioDC) August 31, 2017
… According to sources familiar with his investigation into alleged Russian election interference, his probe has enlisted the help of agents from the IRSâ Criminal Investigations unit.
This unitâknown as CIâis one of the federal governmentâs most tight-knit, specialized, and secretive investigative entities. Its 2,500 agents focus exclusively on financial crime, including tax evasion and money laundering. A former colleague of Muellerâs said he always liked working with IRSâ special agents, especially when he was a U.S. Attorney.
And it goes without saying that the IRS has access to Trumpâs tax returnsâdocuments that the president has long resisted releasing to the public.
Potential financial crimes are a central part of Muellerâs probe. One of his top deputies, Andy Weissmann, formerly helmed the Justice Departmentâs Enron probe and has extensive experience working with investigative agents from the IRS…
Itâs been widely reported that the special counselâs team is trying to âflipâ Paul Manafort, the presidentâs former campaign CEO, in hopes he will provide evidence against his former colleagues. Former federal prosecutors tell The Daily Beast one of Manafortâs biggest legal liabilities could be to whatâs called a âcheck the boxâ prosecution. Federal law requires that people who have money in foreign bank accounts check a box on their tax returns disclosing that. And thereâs speculation that Manafort may have neglected to check that box, which would be a felony. This is exactly the kind of allegation the IRS would look into…
Speaking of overbearing accountants and their prying habits, Bloomberg has its own exclusive:
Jared Kushner, Donald Trumpâs son-in-law and top adviser, wakes up each morning to a growing problem that will not go away. His familyâs real estate business, Kushner Cos., owes hundreds of millions of dollars on a 41-story office building on Fifth Avenue. It has failed to secure foreign investors, despite an extensive search, and its resources are more limited than generally understood. As a result, the company faces significant challenges.
Over the past two years, executives and family members have sought substantial overseas investment from previously undisclosed places: South Koreaâs sovereign-wealth fund, Franceâs richest man, Israeli banks and insurance companies, and exploratory talks with a Saudi developer, according to former and current executives. These were in addition to previously reported attempts to raise money in China and Qatar…
Russiagate Open Thread: <em>Oh, No, Not the Accountants!!!</em>Post + Comments (103)