Robert Mueller's special counsel team is "bracing for an array of challenges to its authority," per Politico, as the Russia investigation heats up and the criminal case against former campaign officials Rick Gates and Paul Manafort gets closer to a trial.

Why it matters: Mueller has been on "an early winning streak," Politico reports, as his team has avoided attempts to block subpoena power and limit his scope of questioning. But former White House prosecutor Julie Myers Wood told Politico the typical response for a defense lawyer is "distort, detract, deny," and Mueller is already beginning to see these tactics take shape against his investigation.