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Report: IRS Now Sharing Info With Mueller Russia Investigation

September 26, 2017

The Internal Revenue Service has begun to share information on key Trump campaign officials with special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

The sharing comes after months of stand-off between the two entities, CNN reports. That clash was prompted by concerns about how far-reaching and broad Mueller's requests to the IRS were.

But, one source told CNN, the IRS's criminal division is now sharing information with Mueller's investigation. A number of Trump campaign staff have been the focus of the records requests, most notably former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.

The information shared would include anything tax-related, including real estate and bank records. Normally, a Department of Justice official told CNN, the IRS would need a specific grand jury subpoena to share this kind of information with another agency.

In addition to its involvement with the Russia investigation, the IRS has been working with the FBI since before the election to investigate Manafort in a probe centering on possible money laundering and tax fraud. It is unclear whether or not Flynn has been the subject of a similar investigation.

That separate investigation contributed to the tension between the IRS and Mueller's investigation, which played out in July's raid by the FBI on Manafort's home. The IRS conspicuously did not participate, saying it would interfere with their own investigation into Manafort.

It is unclear if Mueller has requested copies of President Donald Trump's tax returns, which were the subject of much controversy during the 2016 presidential election.