Review of Cohen documents finds small number of privileged items

An initial review of documents seized during an FBI raid of Michael Cohen’s office and home reportedly turned up relatively few privileged items that would be protected from prosecutors. 

CNBC reported Monday that a special master has reviewed nearly 300,000 documents and files taken from President Trump’s longtime personal attorney in an April raid.

Of those, the special master found 162 are considered privileged or partially privileged. Another seven items were deemed “highly personal.” 

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The court appointed special master, Barbara Jones, reviewed 12,543 pages of papers, as well as more than 291,000 items on two phones and an iPad, CNBC reported. 

Jones is still expected to review thousands of additional documents and files seized in the April raid, which reportedly include bank records, communications between Cohen and Trump and documents related to payments to two women who alleged they had an affair with Trump more than a decade ago.

Jones, a former federal judge, was appointed in late April to review the scores of documents to determine which are protected under attorney-client privilege.

After the raid, attorneys for Cohen and Trump both expressed concerns that many items taken could include privileged information. They argued that they should be able to review the items ahead of federal prosecutors. Trump reportedly offered to review the documents himself.

Kimba Wood, the presiding judge in Cohen’s case, rejected that premise. The two sides ultimately agreed on the appointment of a special master in the case to to examine the documents as a neutral third party.

Cohen is reportedly under investigation in the Southern District of New York for bank fraud and campaign finance violations.