Michael Cohen, President Trump’s personal lawyer, scored a small victory Monday when a New York-based federal judge ordered that prosecutors in Manhattan share material seized by FBI agents who raided Cohen’s office, home, hotel room, and a safe deposit box last week.
U.S. District Court Judge Kimba M. Wood made the ruling so Cohen’s legal team can tell her how much of the material taken they believe is subject to attorney-client privilege.
Cohen’s counsel may then be able turn over some of the material to Trump and the Trump Organization, per CNN.
Depending on the breadth of Cohen’s attorney-client privilege claim, Wood said she would then decide whether to grant Cohen’s request to appoint an independent third party to help determine what material prosecutors can use as evidence against him, per Bloomberg.
The neutral third party may take the form of a government “taint team” of investigators separate from the probe being conducted by the Southern District of New York U.S. attorney’s office or a special master, with both parties to the matter expected to suggest names Tuesday.
Prosecutors are scheduled to tell Wood by Wednesday how long they estimate it will take to provide Cohen with the material after they consult with their filter team and the FBI, Bloomberg reported.
The Department of Justice announced Friday that Cohen had been “under criminal investigation” focused on his “personal business dealings” in New York for months.
The raid on Cohen sought communications between the lawyer and his presidential client.
Monday’s proceedings follow Trump’s legal representatives sending a letter to Wood Sunday, asking that she block prosecutors from reviewing the material until after Cohen or Trump had seen it.
