Cohen, Trump want to shield seized documents

Attorneys for President Donald Trump and his personal lawyer Michael Cohen are scheduled to appear Monday afternoon in federal court in Manhattan to try to keep prosecutors from examining documents seized in a search last week. Investigators searched Cohen’s hotel room, office, apartment, and safety deposit box and “took everything,” according to a court filing seeking to protect some of the documents. Attorney-client privilege does not extend to possible evidence of a crime being committed, but Trump’s attorneys say the court should allow Cohen and the president to review the documents and screen out those that don’t pertain to the investigation. Prosecutors propose having a group of Justice Department lawyers not connected to the investigation perform that role. Cohen is the subject of a criminal probe related to his personal business dealings. He has acknowledged that just before the 2016 presidential election, he paid Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement about an alleged affair she had with Trump. Both Cohen and Clifford are expected to appear in court today.