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Lawyers for Trump’s Personal Attorney Set for Friday Court Appearance Trump’s Lawyer Heads to Court to Shield Files from Prosecutors
(about 1 hour later)
NEW YORK — A federal judge in Manhattan has scheduled arguments on Friday over the contentious search warrant carried out earlier this week at the office and hotel room of President Trump’s personal attorney, Michael D. Cohen. NEW YORK — President Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, is expected to go before a federal judge in Manhattan on Friday challenging the Justice Department’s seizure of documents related to Mr. Cohen’s decade-long legal representation of Mr. Trump that were taken in a recent F.B.I. raid.
It will be the first public hearing related to the F.B.I. raid that has roiled the White House. It was not immediately clear on Friday what specific issues the court hearing would address. Federal Judge Kimba M. Wood of United States District Court has scheduled arguments for Friday morning in what will be the first public hearing related to the contentious search warrant carried out on Monday at Mr. Cohen’s office and hotel room.
Mr. Cohen’s attorneys have called the raid of his offices and hotel room an overreach of the law, and the president has said that the attorney-client privilege is dead because of the action. Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for the United States attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, said that the hearing would address “a temporary restraining order filed by Mr. Cohen” concerning the search, but offered no additional details.
Lawyers for Mr. Cohen and Mr. Trump have been considering their legal options to try to protect investigators from reading Mr. Trump’s communications with Mr. Cohen. Separately, media organizations have also requested access to the search warrant documents. Federal agents seized documents that dated back years, some of which are related to payments to two women who have said they had affairs with Mr. Trump. Other documents seized included information about the role of The National Enquirer in silencing one of the women, people briefed on the investigation have said.
The F.B.I. seized documents that dated back years, some of which are related to payments to two women who have said they had affairs with Mr. Trump. Other documents seized included information about the role of the National Enquirer in silencing one of the women, people briefed on the investigation have said. Mr. Cohen’s lawyers have called the raid of his offices and hotel room an overreach of the law, and the president has said that the attorney-client privilege is dead because of the action.
The raid on Mr. Trump’s longtime personal attorney surprised and angered the president who has been frustrated with the ongoing special counsel investigation into Russia’s 2016 election interference, the Kremlin’s possible coordination with Trump associates and whether the president has been deliberately trying to obstruct those inquiries. On Monday, Mr. Trump called the raid an “attack on our country in a true sense.” A federal judge authorized prosecutors to seize the records on Monday, but Mr. Cohen is challenging their authority to review them. The warrant sought all documents, including emails between Mr. Cohen and Mr. Trump, related to Mr. Cohen’s efforts to suppress negative publicity ahead of the 2016 election.
Communications between lawyers and their clients are normally off limits to prosecutors but there are exceptions, including when the materials are considered part of an ongoing crime.
The raid on Mr. Cohen surprised and angered the president, who has been frustrated with the ongoing special counsel investigation into Russia’s 2016 election interference, the Kremlin’s possible coordination with Trump associates and whether the president has been deliberately trying to obstruct those inquiries. On Monday, Mr. Trump called the raid an “attack on our country in a true sense.”
Federal agents in New York were looking for information about Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who claims she had a nearly yearlong affair with Mr. Trump shortly after the birth of his youngest son in 2006. American Media Inc., which owns the National Enquirer, paid Ms. McDougal $150,000. The chief executive of America Media Inc. is a friend of Mr. Trump’s.Federal agents in New York were looking for information about Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who claims she had a nearly yearlong affair with Mr. Trump shortly after the birth of his youngest son in 2006. American Media Inc., which owns the National Enquirer, paid Ms. McDougal $150,000. The chief executive of America Media Inc. is a friend of Mr. Trump’s.
Agents were also searching Mr. Cohen’s office and hotel room for information related to Stephanie Clifford, better known as Stormy Daniels, a pornographic film actress. Ms. Clifford has said she had sex with Mr. Trump while he was married. Mr. Cohen has acknowledged that he paid Ms. Clifford $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement to secure her silence days before the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Trump recently told reporters he knew nothing about the agreement.Agents were also searching Mr. Cohen’s office and hotel room for information related to Stephanie Clifford, better known as Stormy Daniels, a pornographic film actress. Ms. Clifford has said she had sex with Mr. Trump while he was married. Mr. Cohen has acknowledged that he paid Ms. Clifford $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement to secure her silence days before the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Trump recently told reporters he knew nothing about the agreement.
The seized records also include communications between Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen, who joined Mr. Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, in 2006, which would most likely require a special team of agents to review because conversations between lawyers and clients are protected from scrutiny in most instances.
Searching a law office is one of the most sensitive — and most heavily reviewed — activities the Justice Department conducts. It is rare to seek documents from lawyers in any case, but doing so by search rather than subpoena is unusually aggressive and is typically reserved for cases when prosecutors believe that the lawyer would conceal or destroy evidence if asked for it.