Document nkJN3KM9koEdNzkk7nZoXw0a2

CORRY BLISS'S CASH ... "Ryan-linked group raised $24.6M from anonymous donor," by Scott Bland: "American Action Network, the nonprofit group closely aligned with House Speaker Paul Ryan, raised a record $41.9 million amid the GOP push to repeal Obamacare and restructure the tax code -- more than half of which came from one donor, according to a tax filing obtained by POLITICO. "The money raised includes $24.6 million from a single anonymous donor, according to AAN's 2017 tax return, which covers July 2016 to June 2017 and was filed this week. As a 'social welfare' group organized under section 501(c)(4) of the tax code, AAN can raise money in unlimited amounts, but it is not required to disclose its donors, unlike a super PAC. The eight-figure donation by itself almost eclipsed AAN's previous fundraising high for an entire fiscal year. The group brought in $27.5 million from July 2010 to June 2011. AAN's new tax return itemizes 36 donations of at least $5,000, including seven of at least $1 million." https://politi.co/2rVzzzr THE INVESTIGATIONS ... -- "Special Counsel subpoenas another Stone aide in Russia probe - sources," by Reuters' Mark Hosenball and Nathan Layne: "U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has subpoenaed a key assistant of long-time Donald Trump adviser Roger Stone, two people with knowledge of the matter said, the latest sign that Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election is increasingly focusing on Stone. "The subpoena was recently served on John Kakanis, 30, who has worked as a driver, accountant and operative for Stone. Kakanis has been briefly questioned by the FBI on the topics of possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, the WikiLeaks website, its founder Julian Assange, and the hacker or hackers who call themselves Guccifer 2.0." https://reut.rs/2kaZEY2 -- DAVID STERN in KIEV: "Mueller probes Ukrainian who pitched peace plan to White House": "Special counsel Robert Mueller's team has been meeting over the last year with a Ukrainian lawmaker at the center of a controversial plan to end his country's conflict with Russia, pressing him for details about interactions with Trump administration officials. "Andrii Artemenko told POLITICO that FBI agents had peppered him with 'assorted questions' over 'at least' two interviews about his 'meetings, dealings and the questions discussed with various levels of the American political establishment.' 'These included congressmen, senators and representatives of the White House administration,' he added in a telephone conversation on Friday, after a meeting with members of the Mueller team." https://politi.co/2rZFe8L HOW THE SAUSAGE IS MADE -- "'Thank you,' now get out of here! The difficult job of a Trump press wrangler," by WaPo's Erik Wemple: "Wrangling correspondents, however, has proven complicated in the Trump White House. That's because of Trump, who is forever listening for his kind of questions. If a reporter lands on a topic dear to him, he'll go for it, frustrating efforts to clear the room of all those alleged 'fake news' purveyors and so-called enemies of the people. ... Nine minutes after Trump issued his first 'thank you,' the wrangler succeeded in herding the press pool out of the Cabinet Room. 'Thanks, everyone. ... Come on, Steve. Come on, [inaudible]. Thanks, guys. Thanks, everyone. Time to go. Let's go, guys.' ... "According to Martha Kumar, director of the White House Transition Project, Trump did 170 short question-and-answer sessions through April 29, as compared to 55 for President Barack Obama at the same point in his first term. (Obama bests Trump, however, in interviews -- 187 to 95 -- and solo press conferences -- 13 to 1.)" https://wapo.st/2rTmg3k -- THE PRESIDENT'S BOY ... -- MIKE GRYNBAUM (@grynbaum): "Bit of late Friday news: Trump met today at White House with journalists from about a dozen conservative outlets, including Breitbart. Potus said nice things about Kevin McCarthy & less-nice things about Jeff Sessions, per an attendee." STEVE HILTON UPDATE ... WAPO'S DAVE WEIGEL: "Fox News host Steve Hilton wanted to disrupt the party system. This week, he left his PAC," by WaPo's Dave Weigel: "British political consultant Steve Hilton ... announced that he was leaving Crowdpac, which he founded in 2014. His successor as CEO, Jesse Thomas, announced that Crowdpac would put a 10-day hold on all fundraising for Republican campaigns. The problem, Thomas wrote, was Hilton's work for Fox News." https://wapo.st/2IOaf94 BLAST FROM THE PAST -- SPOTTED: Reince Priebus having breakfast on Friday with Corey Lewandowski and Dave Bossie at the Hay-Adam PLAYBOOK