Cohen provides list of names for judge to consider in document review

CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 4/18/2018, 7:41 a.m.
President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, has suggested four former prosecutors to serve as an independent agent to vet …
FBI raids Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's office

By Kara Scannell, CNN

(CNN) -- President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, has suggested four former prosecutors to serve as an independent agent to vet documents seized in the FBI raid of his home, office and hotel room.

In a court filing, Cohen's attorneys nominated Bart Schwartz, an attorney who has served as an independent monitor ensuring compliance with government settlements at Deutsche Bank and General Motors; Joan McPhee, a former deputy chief of appeals for the US attorneys office in Manhattan; Tai Park, a former assistant US attorney in Manhattan; and George Canellos, a former co-director of enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission and a former assistant US attorney in Manhattan.

Each of Cohen's nominees worked in the US attorney's office that is investigating Cohen and has likely appeared before Judge Kimba Wood or is known to her from the small white collar legal world of New York.

The judge asked Cohen and prosecutors at a hearing Monday to provide four nominations to serve as an independent agent, or special master, as she considers how to handle the thorny issues of vetting documents for attorney-client privilege.

The government's brief with its nominees is expected to be filed later Wednesday.

Wood said Monday that Cohen could review materials seized when the FBI raided his home, office and hotel room last week for any communications with the President, but held off on deciding how prosecutors will ultimately be able to use the evidence.

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