White House spokesman: 'Last I've heard' Cohen is still Trump's attorney

It was a balmy Friday in New York City, but Michael Cohen probably wasn't in a very bright mood.

US Attorney Robert Khuzami, in a motion filed with a US District Court judge in NY, redacted the alleged criminal conduct for which Cohen is being investigated. Wood also heard arguments on how to keep the names of "innocent individuals" out of the public legal fight.

"We're pretty confident there are thousands of privileged communications", Cohen's lawyer Todd Harrison told the judge.

Prosecutors say Cohen barely practiced law so most of the documents aren't off limits.

In Friday night's filing, Blakely and Harder argue that "where there are overlapping issues in criminal and civil cases, a stay "is appropriate to preserve [an individual's] Fifth Amendment Rights" - quoting from a federal court ruling from NY.

However, on April 9, federal agents executed search warrants against Cohen as part of an ongoing criminal investigation - leading to the request to put the civil case brought by Daniels on hold.

Cohen has denied wrongdoing. They said Cohen had actually done "little to no legal work, and that zero emails were exchanged with President Trump".

The lawyers said they should be allowed to identify which of the documents are protected by attorney-client privilege before prosecutors get to look at them.

Federal prosecutors made that disclosure on Friday in responding to a request by Cohen for a judge to restrict the government's ability to review the evidence the FBI collected in those raids. The president's lawyers have said they want to review the documents that were confiscated.

An attorney for the president, Joanna Hendon, appeared as well, telling the judge that Trump has "an acute interest in these proceedings and the manner in which these materials are reviewed".

First, prosecutors revealed in court documents that the raiding of Cohen's home and office on Tuesday was spurred by a criminal investigation over his business dealings that has been going on for months, completely separate from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe.

President Donald Trump's personal attorney is trying to prevent the government from using materials it found in a search of his office and residence this week.

"The government is investigating whether there was, in connection with Trump's White House bid, a conspiracy to commit fraud and extortion for the objective of silencing potentially compromising sources - specifically, people in a position to portray Donald Trump as a womanizer", McCarthy, a senior fellow at the National Review Institute, said.

The source said Cohen recorded some calls he had with attorney Keith Davidson, who at the time represented both Daniels and McDougal.

Trump, who in the last month has escalated his attacks on Robert Mueller's Russian Federation investigation, said it was a "disgrace" that the FBI "broke into" his lawyer's office.

Trump denounced the Federal Bureau of Investigation raid on "good man" Cohen as "disgraceful" and an "attack on our country".

Spokesman Jordan Prince said in an email late Thursday that a hearing is set for Friday morning.