SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Michael Cohen, center, following a meeting with the Senate Intelligence Committee. (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty)
Michael Cohen Trying To Get Judge to Block Examination of Material Seized by FBI
Invoking Trump by name, Cohen's attorney reportedly tells federal court that president "has an acute interest in these proceedings."
Apr 13, 2018
Following a raid by the FBI at his offices and places of residence earlier this week, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen on Friday is attempting to get a judge to block the ability of federal prosecutors to use any of the materials seized.
With a hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Kimba Wood, Cohen sought a restraining order so that review of anything seized by authorities on Monday would be put on hold.
According to the Associated Press:
Federal agents seized records on a variety of subjects in the raid on Monday, including payments that were made in 2016 to women who might have damaging information about Trump.
FBI and Justice Department officials in Washington and New York have refused to discuss the case publicly or say what crimes they are investigating, but people familiar with the investigation have told The Associated Press the search warrant used in the raids sought bank records, business records on Cohen's dealing in the taxi industry, Cohen's communications with the Trump campaign and information on payments made to a former Playboy model and a porn actress who say they had affairs with Trump.
The New York Daily News reports that Judge Wood, during Friday's hearing, indicated she "was inclined to rule in favor of a delay" based on the application to the court submitted by Cohen's attorney, Joanna Hendon.
For her part, Hendon suggested the other person likely most interested in the seizure of the materials, and the outcome of any prosecution stemming from what might be contained in them, was President Trump himself.
"Ultimately, in my view, this is of most concern to him," Hendon said, referring to the president. "[He] has an acute interest in these proceedings."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Following a raid by the FBI at his offices and places of residence earlier this week, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen on Friday is attempting to get a judge to block the ability of federal prosecutors to use any of the materials seized.
With a hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Kimba Wood, Cohen sought a restraining order so that review of anything seized by authorities on Monday would be put on hold.
According to the Associated Press:
Federal agents seized records on a variety of subjects in the raid on Monday, including payments that were made in 2016 to women who might have damaging information about Trump.
FBI and Justice Department officials in Washington and New York have refused to discuss the case publicly or say what crimes they are investigating, but people familiar with the investigation have told The Associated Press the search warrant used in the raids sought bank records, business records on Cohen's dealing in the taxi industry, Cohen's communications with the Trump campaign and information on payments made to a former Playboy model and a porn actress who say they had affairs with Trump.
The New York Daily News reports that Judge Wood, during Friday's hearing, indicated she "was inclined to rule in favor of a delay" based on the application to the court submitted by Cohen's attorney, Joanna Hendon.
For her part, Hendon suggested the other person likely most interested in the seizure of the materials, and the outcome of any prosecution stemming from what might be contained in them, was President Trump himself.
"Ultimately, in my view, this is of most concern to him," Hendon said, referring to the president. "[He] has an acute interest in these proceedings."
Following a raid by the FBI at his offices and places of residence earlier this week, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen on Friday is attempting to get a judge to block the ability of federal prosecutors to use any of the materials seized.
With a hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Kimba Wood, Cohen sought a restraining order so that review of anything seized by authorities on Monday would be put on hold.
According to the Associated Press:
Federal agents seized records on a variety of subjects in the raid on Monday, including payments that were made in 2016 to women who might have damaging information about Trump.
FBI and Justice Department officials in Washington and New York have refused to discuss the case publicly or say what crimes they are investigating, but people familiar with the investigation have told The Associated Press the search warrant used in the raids sought bank records, business records on Cohen's dealing in the taxi industry, Cohen's communications with the Trump campaign and information on payments made to a former Playboy model and a porn actress who say they had affairs with Trump.
The New York Daily News reports that Judge Wood, during Friday's hearing, indicated she "was inclined to rule in favor of a delay" based on the application to the court submitted by Cohen's attorney, Joanna Hendon.
For her part, Hendon suggested the other person likely most interested in the seizure of the materials, and the outcome of any prosecution stemming from what might be contained in them, was President Trump himself.
"Ultimately, in my view, this is of most concern to him," Hendon said, referring to the president. "[He] has an acute interest in these proceedings."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.