Playbook: “Here’s a rule of thumb in D.C.: The more principals in the room, the less gets done. When a president of either party calls a meeting of all congressional leaders, it’s a pretty sure bet that little substantive will happen. But in this case, that’s OK. President Trump’s decision to hold a happy hour, of sorts, with congressional leadership was a first step in building a relationship between a president new to D.C. and people who matter on the Hill. Expect Trump to do a lot of this. Barack Obama did famously little of it.”

“The White House is installing senior aides atop major federal agencies to shadow the administration’s Cabinet secretaries, creating a direct line with loyalists who can monitor and shape White House goals across the federal bureaucracy,” Politico reports.

“The aides chosen by the White House—given the title of senior adviser in each agency—have already been responsible for hiring at some departments and crafting the blueprint of Trump policy before the Cabinet members win Senate confirmation to take office. They have worked with congressional aides, lobbyists and others seeking influence in the new administration.”

“The arrangement, described by four people involved in the transition planning, appears designed to help the White House maintain control over its priorities despite pledging to give Cabinet secretaries unusual autonomy. Having senior advisers reporting to both the agency chiefs and the White House could spur early tensions and create conflicts with that pledge of autonomy.”

Politico: “Now, just days after Trump’s inauguration, the donors expected to provide much of the funding for the group — the hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his daughter, Rebekah Mercer — are considering abandoning the effort and launching an independent effort of their own.”

“It is unclear precisely why Rebekah Mercer became unhappy with the plans for the organization, though tensions surfaced between her and Brad Parscale, who served as the Trump campaign’s digital director, during a December meeting in Trump Tower.”

The Washington Post has a must-read on the power struggles already happening inside the Trump White House.

“The broader power struggles within the Trump operation have touched everything from the new administration’s communications shop to the expansive role of the president’s son-in-law to the formation of Trump’s political organization. At the center, as always, is Trump himself, whose ascent to the White House seems to have only heightened his acute sensitivity to criticism.”

“I think sometimes we can disagree with the facts.”

— White House press secretary Sean Spicer, quoted by The Guardian.