Shredded Cohen papers prove a puzzle for Feds

Prosecutors are sifting through every shred of evidence against US President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen – literally.

During a hearing yesterday regarding a raid by FBI agents on Cohen’s law office and residences, Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Maimin revealed the government was piecing together documents from a paper shredder.

‘‘I don’t believe the contents of the shredding machine are voluminous at all,’’ Maimin said.

Once reassembled, the shredded papers will be turned over to Cohen’s legal team as part of an ongoing review of his material for attorney-client privilege.

Cohen’s lawyer, Todd Harrison, said that his team had reviewed 1.3 million of Cohen’s files out of 3.7 million that had been turned over by the government.

Four days after the April 9 raid, prosecutors hinted that Cohen might have destroyed evidence if he knew FBI agents were coming. They wrote that the nature of his alleged offences involve ‘‘evidence of a lack of truthfulness.’’

‘‘Absent a search warrant, these records could have been deleted without record, and without recourse for law enforcement,’’ prosecutors wrote at the time.

The ongoing review of Cohen’s material is being done with the assistance of a retired judge, acting as a ‘‘special master,’’ resolving disputes about attorneyclient privilege.

Judge Kimba Wood ordered that the review be completed by June 15. Any remaining material will be turned over to a government ‘‘taint team’’ to determine what is privileged and therefore not fair game for prosecutors.

Cohen, who is reportedly being investigated for campaign finance law violations, bank fraud and wire fraud, has opposed a taint team protocol. ‘‘It’s important for the court to balance the slow, deliberate needs of those asserting attorney-client privilege with the need for an investigation to go forward,’’ said Wood.

Much of the hearing in Manhattan Federal Court was dominated by Michael Avenatti, the attorney for porn star Stormy Daniels.

Material in the Cohen trove could shed light on the US$130,000 hush money payment Cohen made to Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election, he argues. The money was intended to keep Daniels quiet about an alleged affair she had with Trump in 2006.

Avenatti had sought to formally intervene in the case due to the potential evidence pertaining to Daniels. But Wood chastised Avenatti for his frequent appearances in the media, which she called a ‘‘publicity tour.’’ NY Daily News