Judge denies Michael Cohen's restraining order over materials seized in raid, Stormy Daniels attends

Source: ABC

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A federal judge rejected a request from President Donald Trump and his personal lawyer Michael Cohen for a temporary restraining order that would have kept federal prosecutors from reading files seized in raids last week.

Judge Kimba Wood said a government taint team can weed out privileged documents, but she left open the possibility an independent third party could play a role at a later time, in the interest of "the perception of fairness."

"I have faith in the Southern District prosecutors, that their integrity is unimpeachable," Wood said.

Her ruling came at the end of a hearing attended by Cohen and Stormy Daniels, who sat feet apart but did not appear to interact.

Read more: http://abc7ny.com/politics/judge-denies-restraining-order-over-materials-seized-in-cohen-raid/3349804/

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And from Bloomberg:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-16/trump-worlds-collide-as-cohen-meets-stormy-daniels-in-n-y-court

After an afternoon of pitched arguments over who should have the right to vet documents seized from President Donald Trumps personal attorney, a federal judge in New York delayed a decision on whether to appoint an impartial special master to conduct the review.

U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood said that federal authorities who seized documents from the lawyer, Michael Cohen, would provide copies to Cohens team. A lawyer for Cohen said they could provide a list of proposed special masters by Tuesday. The government will also provide names.

The judge voiced confidence in federal prosecutors and stressed that she didnt want to slow down the matter. I have faith in the Southern District U.S. attorneys office that their integrity is unimpeachable, Wood said. She said her interest is in getting this moving speedily and efficiently.

Prosecutors will consult with the filter team and the FBI to get a better estimate of the volume of records. They will supply Wood by early Wednesday with an estimate of how long it will take to get the records to Cohens attorneys. Lawyers for both sides will then confer about proposed electronic search terms for the documents.