Document e7KZvBj8Xv7NxBwbaJRgmqdEG

"Meanwhile, Lewandowski ... was spotted in the West Wing lobby on Tuesday ... Trump has also turned to his former campaign communications director Jason Miller for messaging advice, as his frustrations grows with Dubke, whom Trump believes is an ineffective defender and advocate ... Miller, who has visited the White House multiple times and regularly talks with Trump by phone, has become one of the president's favorite surrogates and informal advisers. Trump has openly mused about taking Miller on in Dubke's role as communications director ... but Miller has told friends in the administration that he plans on remaining on the outside." http://politi.co/2pO7IDi - - IT'S WORTH NOTING: Jason Miller is a paid CNN contributor and consultant. Lewandowski has openly discussed with potential corporate clients his close relationship with the president. DEPT. OF PROFESSIONAL MALPRACTICE -- "Republicans get radio silence from Trump amid growing crisis: The White House has done little damage control, leaving GOP lawmakers with no way to defend the president," by Burgess Everett and Josh Dawsey: "Sen. John McCain stood up in front of the media Tuesday night and compared President Donald Trump's daily scandals to Watergate and Iran-Contra. And no one from the White House bothered to call up the Arizona Republican afterward and check in with him. 'I'm going to wait by the phone,' McCain said dryly Wednesday. The Trump White House has done essentially no damage control in the aftermath of reports that ousted FBI Director James Comey wrote a memo alleging that Trump tried to kill a probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. No talking points have been distributed, and few reassurances have been given to Republicans, leaving frazzled and exhausted lawmakers to freelance their own response. "Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), whose job in leadership is to help Republicans formulate a message and conceivably defend a president of their own party, had received no outreach from the White House as of Wednesday afternoon." http://politi.co/2quzweJ WHY THIS ALL MATTERS -- "Trump scandals threaten GOP agenda," by Nancy Cook and Burgess Everett: "Republicans' long-held dreams of tweaking Medicaid, repealing Obamacare and overhauling the tax code appear in more jeopardy than ever as scandal and investigations beset President Donald Trump's White House. Some Republicans fear that subpoenas and congressional inquiries will swamp the time they need to pass a health care or tax bill in 2017 - not to mention renegotiate NAFTA, unify behind a $1 trillion infrastructure plan or build that border wall." http://politi.co/2qzvn7n - - "Europe, Asia Stocks Extend Losses on Political Concerns," by WSJ's Riva Gold and Kenan Machado: http://on.wsj.com/2qzDhxu - -"World's 500 Richest People Lose $35 Billion From Trump Turmoil," by Bloomberg's Brendan Coffey and Jack Witzig: https://bloom.bg/2pWQjV1 JOE LIEBERMAN INTERVIEWS FOR FBI DIRECTOR -- WaPo's Matt Zapotosky and John Wagner: "In addition to Lieberman, the president was to meet with former Oklahoma governor Frank A. Keating, who worked previously as a U.S. attorney and as the No. 3 official in the Justice Department; Richard A. McFeely, a former FBI official who spent more than two decades in the bureau; and acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, who has taken over for Comey in the short term." http://wapo.st/2pWfirv - - INSIDE THE CAPITOL: A former senator like Lieberman or Keating would be a smart pick for Trump. Lieberman is especially smart. Republicans like Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) love Lieberman. And it would give Trump the ability to say he has chosen someone who spent most of his career as a Democrat. THE BACKUP -- "Kochs boost Trump tax plan," by Ken Vogel and Brian Faler: "In a potential boost for President Donald Trump's largely stagnant tax reform effort, the Koch brothers' advocacy operation is planning to spend millions of dollars advocating for changes to the tax code that mirror the ones proposed by the White House. The two leading groups in the conservative advocacy operation spearheaded by the billionaire mega-donors Charles and David Koch on Thursday unveiled an outline of tax reforms and announced that they intend to launch a robust campaign to rally public support for the blueprint. The campaign is notable because the Kochs expressed deep reservations about Trump during the campaign, and their deep-pocketed network declined to support Trump, but it has a history of mounting aggressive congressional issue advocacy pushes." http://politi.co/2qw5nf7 TRUMP INC. -- "Donald Trump Jr., Dubai business partner discuss 'new ideas'," by AP's Jon Gambrell in Dubai: "Donald Trump Jr. traveled to Dubai and met a billionaire business partner in the city-state, discussing 'new ideas' as the Emirati's real estate firm still lists possible plans for future joint projects while Trump's father is in the White House. The Trump Organization has said it won't make new foreign deals