Trump distances self from Michael Cohen as raided documents are analyzed
NEW YORK >> President Donald Trump is distancing himself from attorney Michael Cohen, who is facing an FBI investigation of his business dealings.
“I’ve always liked Michael. I haven’t spoken to Michael in a long time,” Trump said to reporters at the White House today. Asked if Cohen, long among Trump’s most trusted fixers, was still his attorney, the president said no.
“No he’s not my lawyer anymore. But I’ve always liked Michael. And I think he’s a good person,” he said.
Prosecutors in New York said in a court filing later today that they are still processing material seized from Cohen in an April raid.
Investigators haven’t charged Cohen with any crime, but have said publicly that they are looking into allegations involving fraud and Cohen’s personal business dealings.
Agents seized paper files, computerized documents and phones from Cohen’s home, safety deposit box and office in April.
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In their court filing today, prosecutors said they had reconstructed about 16 pages of shredded documents that had been found inside a shredder during the raid.
They also said that they had recovered the equivalent of more than 700 pages of encrypted messages sent by secure applications on Cohen’s devices.
A judge had set today as a deadline for Cohen’s lawyers to identify documents they believe are protected by attorney-client privilege.
Prosecutors agreed to extend that deadline by 10 days, if the judge approves.