* Matt Zapotosky reports on how Robert Mueller is building his obstruction of justice case:
Dana Boente, the former acting attorney general who now serves as general counsel at the FBI, has been interviewed by the special counsel’s office and turned over handwritten notes that could be evidence in the ongoing investigation into whether President Trump obstructed justice, according to people familiar with the matter.
Boente was interviewed months ago by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s team on a wide range of topics, including his recollections of what former FBI director James B. Comey told him about troubling interactions with Trump, one of the people said.
The interview is significant, because it shows how Mueller is exploring whether the president obstructed justice and keying in on conversations Trump had with his former FBI director about the probe involving his presidential campaign. It also shows the extent to which Mueller has gone to corroborate Comey’s account.
And guess who’s about to start a book tour? James Comey! I’m sure Trump will deal with seeing Comey in the media with all the calm thoughtfulness we’ve come to expect.
* Maggie Haberman, Matt Apuzzo, and Michael Schmidt report on something else federal agents were looking for when they raided Michael Cohen’s home and office:
The F.B.I. agents who raided the office and hotel of President Trump’s lawyer on Monday were seeking all records related to the “Access Hollywood” tape in which Mr. Trump was heard making vulgar comments about women, according to three people who have been briefed on the contents of a federal search warrant.
The search warrant also sought evidence of whether the lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, tried to suppress damaging information about Mr. Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.
It is not clear what role, if any, Mr. Cohen played regarding the tape, which was made public a month before the election. But the fact that the agents were seeking documents related to the tape reveals a new front in the investigation into Mr. Cohen that is being led by the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan.
Well that’s intriguing. Did Cohen try to pay somebody else off? What exactly were they looking for?
* Elana Schor and Burgess Everett report that a bipartisan bill to protect Mueller from Trump will soon get a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. As this blog suggested might happen.
* Katherine Sullivan reports that Trump’s company is suing towns around the country in an attempt to lower its property taxes.
* Jonathan Cohn and Arthur Delaney have a nice sendoff for Paul Ryan, focused on how he spent his career trying to stick it to the poor and elderly.
* Ron Brownstein also has a good sendoff column summing up the ways Paul Ryan was the most important GOP enabler of Donald Trump.
* Mike DeBonis reports on the struggle to replace Ryan that now begins in the House GOP.
* A great point from Timothy O’Brien on the whole Michael Cohen mess: Trump has always wanted his own Roy Cohn. But Michael Cohen is no Roy Cohn.
* Adam Serwer looks at Trump’s very different ideas about due process depending on who’s being accused.
* Brianne Gorod explains why Mick Mulvaney’s attack on consumer financial protections isn’t just wrong, it’s illegal.
* Rep. Dennis Ross of Florida is the latest Republican to pack it in and say he’s retiring. There are more coming, you can be sure of that.
* At The Week, I went into more detail about why the Cohen raid is such a disaster for President Trump.
* And Adele Stan says that Trump is right, there is an attack on our country underway. Except it’s being conducted by him and Mitch McConnell.
