1. Former Skadden attorney and son-in-law of a Russian-based billionaire, Alex van der Zwaan, pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his communications with former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates. Mr. van der Zwaan also admitted that he deleted records of email exchanges that prosecutors had requested. He faces up to five years in prison but said in court that he only expects to serve up to six months. (New York Times)

  2. Mueller's decision to charge van der Zwaan has put additional pressure on Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, both of whom worked with van der Zwaan on a report supporting the legitimacy of a Ukranian criminal prosecution of a former prime minister. Prosecutors have also accused Manafort and Gates of laundering millions of dollars and concealing their lobbying efforts in Ukraine. (Bloomberg)

  3. Jared Kushner is pushing back against attempts to revoke his access to highly sensitive and classified information, setting up an internal struggle with White House chief of staff John Kelly. (New York Times)

  4. The White House has given David Skulkin permission to purge the Department of Veterans Affairs of what he called "subversion" at the agency. The cabinet head told Politico that those who have defied his authority “won’t be working in my operation.” (Politico)