Federal prosecutors are trying to keep search warrant information related to Michael Cohen under wraps, citing an ongoing federal grand jury investigation.
CNN:
Multiple news organizations, including CNN, have asked a judge to unseal material related to several search warrants that were executed during the course of the months-long investigation into Cohen. In arguing their opposition to making those documents public, federal prosecutors provided a peek into their ongoing investigative effort.
"[U]nsealing of the materials at the present time would interfere with this investigation," they wrote in Thursday's filing, which was made in response to an unsealing effort by The New York Times, "and would implicate significant privacy concerns for numerous uncharged third parties who are named in the materials."
Prosecutors disclosed in a footnote that they have not notified the uncharged third parties that are named in the material, "in part because disclosure of that fact to certain of the uncharged third parties would itself impair the ongoing investigation."
Prosecutors also said that, "at present, there is a significant interest in maintaining the materials under seal, because disclosure could prejudice an ongoing investigation in concrete, identifiable ways."
In response to a suggestion that the material could be made public with redactions, prosecutors argued against such a "time-consuming exercise in the midst of ongoing investigations," and said partially redacted material in the Cohen matter "would lead to rampant speculation."
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Prosecutors also said that they had filed a separate brief under seal that contained additional details about their current investigative effort. "The supplemental submission identifies specific portions of the warrant affidavits and other facts pertinent to the ongoing government investigation," they said in another footnote in their public filing.
The judge isn't expected to rule on the effort to unseal the search warrant material before early November. Cohen is due to be sentenced December 12.
Prosecutors say Michael Cohen-related grand jury investigation is 'ongoing' (CNN)