Logistics meetings continue
in preparation for a possible meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
NEW YORK — Lawyers for President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, failed to persuade a judge Wednesday to give them more time to analyze millions of files seized by the FBI, but they did get one thing they wanted: Their TV tormentor, Stormy Daniels’ attorney, withdrew a request to get a formal role in the case.
The federal judge, refereeing an ongoing legal tussle about which documents should be withheld from investigators because of attorney-client privilege, gave lawyers for Trump and Cohen until June 15 to finish reviewing 3.7 million paper and electronic files seized in the April raids, saying it was important not to delay the criminal investigation.
The deadline for them to identify documents they believe are confidential was set over the objection of Cohen’s lawyer, Todd Harrison, who argued his team of 15 lawyers needed more time.
U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood was unmoved, but she made comments in court that may have prompted Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti, to withdraw a request to get a formal role in the legal negotiations. Daniels is an adultfilm actress to whom Cohen paid $130,000 after she alleged she had a sexual encounter with Trump.
Much of Wednesday’s hearing was consumed by spirited arguments about Avenatti’s numerous public attacks on Cohen, mostly through live cable TV appearances.
Wood told Avenatti that while he is free to speak his mind now, he would have to end his “publicity tour” and attacks on Cohen if he became part of the case. Lawyers practicing in the federal court in Manhattan must follow local rules barring statements that might taint prospective jurors.
Shortly after the court hearing, Avenatti withdrew his application.
Special Master Barbara Jones said in a letter Tuesday that lawyers for Cohen, Trump and the Trump Organization have designated more than 250 items as subject to attorney-client privilege. She said the material includes data from a video recorder.
Wood said if Trump and Cohen’s lawyers don’t finish reviewing material by the June 15 deadline, the task of performing the attorneyclient review will be handled by a special “taint team” of prosecutors walled off from those involved in the criminal probe.
Of the material seized from Cohen’s home, hotel and office in April, only two old Blackberry phones and the contents of a shredder have yet to be turned over to Cohen’s lawyers, prosecutors revealed Wednesday.