The special master assigned in the criminal case against Michael Cohen announced Tuesday that Cohen, President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization had made 252 claims of privileged or “highly personal” material out of the initial items reviewed.
Investigators seized the materials during raids on Cohen’s home, office and hotel room on April 9.
“The 292,006 items from the first two productions that have not been designated privileged or highly personal by the parties were released to the Government on May 23rd,” wrote Special Master Barbara Jones, a former federal judge, in a court filing Tuesday.
“On or before June 4th, the Special Master will provide the Court with a Report and Recommendation with respect to the privilege determinations as to these first two productions.”
That covers material collected from Cohen on May 4, 8 and 9, Jones said, but not material collected on May 11, 17, 21 and 22, which has yet to be processed. “[A]pproximately 1,025,363 items from these phones have not been designated privileged or highly personal by the parties,” Jones noted of the May 11 production.
The May 11 materials without privilege claims will be released to the government on Wednesday, Jones said, the same day Judge Kimba Wood will hold a hearing on the document review process.
“The Special Master’s review of the remaining items contained in the May 11th, 17th, 21st and 22nd productions is ongoing,” Jones concluded.
In a separate filing, Jones billed $47,390.00 in total legal fees for her first week, charging $700 per hour except for her preparation of background materials, for which she charged $670 per hour. Politico noted that the government is paying half that amount — Cohen, Trump and the Trump Organization are covering the rest.
Read the filing below:
