The IRS is now sharing information with special counsel Robert Mueller about key Trump campaign officials, after the two entities clashed this summer over both the scope of the investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and a raid on former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's home, people briefed on the matter tell CNN.
Part of the concern centered on the far-reaching and broad requests from Mueller's team. In the case of Manafort, Mueller's investigators are reaching back 11 years as they investigate possible tax and financial crimes, according to search warrant documents. Mueller is bound by a written order issued by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in May which allows the special counsel to investigate "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation."
After several months of being at odds, one source said, the IRS Criminal Investigation division is now sharing information about campaign associates, including Manafort and former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn. The sharing happened after the two camps reached an agreement following consultation with officials at the Treasury Department.
The FBI had already been working with the FBI since even before the election, but now that they are also sharing information with Mueller's team I imagine that Trump's orange tinted anus just slammed shut hard.
However that is by no means the only avenue that Mueller and his team are exploring.
Also courtesy of CNN:
Special counsel investigators could start interviewing current and former White House staff as soon as later this week regarding the Russian probe, two sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.
One source cautioned it is still being worked out with Robert Mueller's office and said it might be delayed until next week.
As CNN previously reported, among the people Mueller has expressed interest in speaking with are former and current White House staffers whom investigators consider witnesses, including former chief of staff Reince Priebus, former press secretary Sean Spicer, communications director Hope Hicks, White House counsel Don McGahn, communications adviser Josh Raffel and associate counsel James Burnham.
Mueller's team also approached the White House about interviewing staffers who were aboard Air Force One for the creation of the initial response to news of Donald Trump Jr.'s Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer, sources previously told CNN.
This news has inspired Spicey to finally hire a lawyer. But not just any lawyer.
Courtesy of the Daily Beast:
The president’s former press secretary has tapped Chris Mead, a high-powered criminal defense attorney, to handle issues related to the special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, The Daily Beast has learned.
According to his bio page at the firm London & Mead, Mead specializes in white collar criminal defense and Congressional investigations, as well as issues related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act——a law that bars Americans from bribing foreign government officials. His law firm bio also boasts that he gained “extensive experience in money laundering” prosecutions when he was a prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.
"Bribing foreign governments" and "money laundering," now isn't THAT interesting?
And Spicy may need that kind of high priced legal help, because according to Senator Blumenthal the first indictments are coming soon.
Courtesy of Politico:
Criminal charges against two former top advisers to President Donald Trump are virtually certain, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday.
Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort are almost sure to be indicted as a result of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, the Connecticut senator told POLITICO.
“I'm about 99 percent sure there will be some criminal charges from this investigation,” said Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Blumenthal has also served as a U.S. attorney and spent 20 years as his state's attorney general.
I have a feeling that this week is going to be very interesting indeed.
And by the way let me take a moment to address the Chicken Little's in the group who keep suggesting that we are allowing Trump to distract us from this investigation with his tweets and crazy ass comments to the press.
Chill the fuck out. We can absolutely entertain more than one thought in our heads at a time.
For my part I am never NOT thinking about this Russian investigation, but that does not mean I am unable to also post about a variety of other topics.
There is almost too much to cover in a single day, but we do our best.
However it cannot simply be Russia, Russia, Russia 24 hours a day.
That would be boring even to those of us with a laser like focus on those investigations.
Don't you worry when a new story breaks about the investigation you will most definitively see it covered here on IM.
Now if you will excuse me I have a Sarah Palin story to write up next.
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