Years after the FBI closed several corruption probes into Bill and Hillary Clinton’s charitable foundation, the IRS under President Donald Trump opened a criminal tax investigation into the Clinton Foundation’s finances and its relationships with other global charities. But according to internal memos and emails reviewed by Just the News, the agency abruptly cut off contact with key whistleblowers in the spring of 2019.
One memo recounts how agents suddenly ended weeks of communication with two whistleblowers, stating simply: “Can’t talk about the CF.” Among those sidelined was a decorated former federal money laundering analyst who had previously testified before Congress on terrorism financing and related financial crimes.
Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act provide fresh insight into federal concerns about the Clinton Foundation and add to a long-running narrative of investigators encountering obstacles when pursuing inquiries involving prominent Democratic figures.
John Moynihan, a retired Drug Enforcement Administration financial crimes analyst, and Larry Doyle, a corporate tax compliance specialist, spent years examining the foundation’s operations. Both men testified before Congress about their findings and shared evidence with the IRS alleging potential financial misconduct by the organization.
Moynihan and Doyle are currently pursuing two whistleblower cases related to the Clinton Foundation in U.S. Tax Court, one of which is tentatively scheduled for trial on December 1. Court filings in that case reference materials from an IRS criminal investigations division probe, the outlet reported.
A review of notes and internal IRS emails by Just the News shows that whistleblowers met with the agency multiple times between January and April 2019. While the IRS initially signaled strong interest in examining potential misconduct at the Clinton Foundation, the agency later pulled back, with officials reportedly indicating that such an investigation could not move forward. By July 2019, all investigative activity had come to a halt.
Internal IRS emails indicate that an office in New Jersey initially showed strong interest in allegations raised by whistleblowers about the Clinton Foundation. Notes kept by John Moynihan and Larry Doyle describe repeated discussions in which IRS officials considered formalizing their role as “informants” or “cooperating witnesses.” The whistleblowers’ records also cite one IRS investigator as stating that the documents they provided suggested “the entire enterprise is a fraud.”
The Clinton Foundation “began acting as an agent of foreign governments early in its life and throughout its existence,” Moynihan testified in late 2018. “As such, the foundation should’ve registered under FARA (the Foreign Agents Registration Act). Ultimately, the foundation and its auditors conceded in formal submissions that it did operate as a [foreign] agent, therefore the foundation is not entitled to its 501c3 tax-exempt privileges.”
