Exclusive: Mueller Enlists the IRS for His Trump-Russia Investigation

[bathroommonkey76]

Source: Daily Beast

Special counsel Bob Mueller has teamed up with the IRS. According to sources familiar with his investigation into alleged Russian election interference, his probe has enlisted the help of agents from the IRS’ Criminal Investigations unit.

This unit—known as CI—is one of the federal government’s 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 Mueller’s said he always liked working with IRS’ special agents, especially when he was a U.S. Attorney.

And it goes without saying that the IRS has access to Trump’s tax returns—documents that the president has long resisted releasing to the public.

Potential financial crimes are a central part of Mueller’s probe. One of his top deputies, Andy Weissmann, formerly helmed the Justice Department’s Enron probe and has extensive experience working with investigative agents from the IRS.

Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-mueller-enlists-the-irs-for-his-trump-russia-investigation

[tinrobot]

1. Oh... it's going down...

Not sure when the hammer will drop, but it will.

[Stuart G]

2. I agree, when it drops it will get more than Trump..

Perhaps Pence too..but,...it may take a while. The investigators are making sure that the hammer hits straight and true and gets the two big nails, and a bunch of little ones. Oh, and it is going to make a lot of noise when it does drop...very loud noise.....

[Scurrilous]

3. Trump's truly fucked...

[Sgent]

4. Accountants with guns

always fun.

[Corgigal]

16. I wish I knew how to make video games.

For the adult set, a true horror game.

[steve2470]

5. Do I hear echoes of Al Capone ????

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Capone#Trials

I really really hope they can nab both Trump and Pence via the IRS. Pretty hard to defend numbers in black and white, and they can't say they were ignorant of the tax laws (ignorance is not an excuse anyway, at least not on a regular basis).

[Honeycombe8]

6. I bet the IRS has known that Trump's filings have been false, but couldn't figure it out.

Trump's financials are no doubt extremely complicated, involving facts and figures of carryovers and such, involving different countries and real estate losses, and expenses and purchases and capital gains and investments.

The IRS, good as they are, may not have the level of staff necessary to quite follow the money trail.

Just a guess.

This is good news (for the country). Not so good for Trump.

[groundloop]

7. Headline - 45* Fires Entire IRS Staff

I really really hope they can nail him, Pence, and all the others with crimes he's not going to be able to pardon his way out of. It's good that the state of New York is involved, but I wonder if they'll be able to prosecute tax related crimes.

[bluestarone]

8. man now this is

the audit i was waiting for

[ffr]

9. Does the IRS do cavity searches?

Link to tweet

[SergeStorms]

10. And if Trump, Manafort, Kushner et al.

committed any tax law infraction, they're not only breaking federal laws (where Trump could pardon everyone, including himself) but they'd be breaking NEW YORK STATE TAX LAWS as well!

So...........no get out of jail free card for any of the principal shit-heels in the saga of Trump vs. The Entire World.

[Stuart G]

11. I like that..."...no get out of jail free cards for any of the principal shit-heels...

Outstanding description...............well said.......................My hat is off to you

[SergeStorms]

14. Thank yee kindly, sir.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in awhile.

[FakeNoose]

12. Mueller is dealing a new card to Cheeto and his gang

[SergeStorms]

13. I don't really believe.....

in the concept of heaven or hell, so jail works infinitely better for me where Trump is concerned, but to each his/her own.

[DeminPennswoods]

15. Remember the link between Weissman and Sater

Link: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/06/trump-felix-sater-andrew-weissman/

As a prosecutor in the Eastern District, Weissmann signed a 1998 cooperation agreement between the US government and Felix Sater, a violent felon and securities trader who had pleaded guilty to financial crimes. Sater went on to become a confidential informant for the FBI and a Trump business partner. During the years in which Sater was secretly cooperating with the Feds, he was also engaging in key real estate ventures with Trump. This included scouting for deals in Russia and Eastern Europe, projects that never materialized.

Even though Weissman might not have been directly involved, I'd bet he has contacts who can fill him in on any information gathered during Sater's time as an informant. Sater has already proven he'll sell out to save himself.

[muriel_volestrangler]

17. Kick (nt)