Federal Prosecutors Uncover Over 700 pages of Encrypted Messages in Michael Cohen Probe

Federal prosecutors have extracted over 700 pages worth of encrypted messages from phones seized during the raids on Michael Cohen’s home, office, and hotel room, according to a Friday court filing. The messages were sent through apps including WhatsApp and Signal, prosecutors said. They also pieced together 16 pages that were taken from a shredding machine in the raids, the court papers state. Cohen, President Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, has not been charged in the criminal probe. Meanwhile, Cohen lost his bid for a restraining order against Stormy Daniels’ attorney, Michael Avenatti, with a federal judge ruling Friday that he did not show he would suffer “immediate, irreparable injury” without one, Reuters reported. Cohen’s attorneys had claimed that Avenatti “routinely denigrates Mr. Cohen with claims of alleged criminal conduct,” thereby undermining his case and depriving him of the right to a fair trial.