Judge denies Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's request for temporary restraining order

A federal judge rejected a request from President Donald Trump and from Michael Cohen, his personal lawyer, for a temporary restraining order to keep federal prosecutors from reading files seized in ‘no-knock’ FBI raids last week.

“At issue was exactly who gets to look at Cohen’s seized documents and devices before they are turned over to prosecutors,” reports ABC New York. Attorneys for Cohen wanted to access the devices first. Trump’s current attorneys also wanted to review them before investigators do.

Excerpt:

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.

Daniels was swarmed by photographers and nearly fell as she was hustled into a federal courthouse. Wearing a lilac suit and high heels, Daniels was the main attraction – for the media anyway – at the court hearing before a federal judge made her ruling.
The April 9 raid sought information on a variety of matters, including a $130,000 payment made to Daniels, who alleges she had sex with a married Trump in 2006.