Court-ordered review in Cohen raid yields 1.3M items for government

Show Caption Hide Caption Michael Cohen says loyalty is first to family and country, not Trump Breaking his silence, President Trump's "bulldog" lawyer Michael Cohen, made it clear where his loyalty really lies. Nathan Rousseau Smith has the story.

More than 1.3 million pieces of potential evidence seized from President Donald Trump's personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen earlier this year were turned over to federal prosecutors Monday.

The bulk transfer was reported by court-appointed special master Barbara Jones who has been reviewing the material to determine if any of it should be withheld from authorities as privileged communications between attorney and client.

The information was seized in April as part of a federal inquiry into Cohen's business dealings.

Among the transactions federal investigators are reviewing is a $130,000 hush money payment that Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels who has claimed to have had an affair with Trump. Although Trump has denied the relationship, the payment was authorized on the eve of the 2016 presidential election.

The content of the items turned over to the government Monday was not identified as part of Jones' two-page report to U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood.

Michael Cohen: Family, country before President Donald Trump

Related: Michael Cohen is expected to split with legal team. Will he cooperate with prosecutors?

The disclosure comes after Cohen, in an interview with ABC News, appeared to further distance himself from the president.

Cohen said that he did not share Trump's animosity toward Justice Department special prosecutor Robert Mueller and did not dismiss the possibility of cooperating with the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Included in Mueller's investigation is an examination of whether Trump sought to obstruct the inquiry by firing former FBI Director James Comey.

“My wife, my daughter and my son have my first loyalty and always will,” Cohen said. “I put family and country first.”

Following the FBI's raid on Cohen offices and home earlier this year, Trump seemed to raise the prospect that the government was seeking to turn the attorney into a witness against him.

"Most people will flip if the government lets them out of trouble, even if it means lying or making up stories," Trump said in a April tweet. "Sorry, I don’t see Michael doing that despite the horrible Witch Hunt and the dishonest media!”

Asked how he might respond if the president or his legal team tries to discredit him, Cohen told ABC:

“I will not be a punching bag as part of anyone’s defense strategy. I am not a villain of this story, and I will not allow others to try to depict me that way.”

Mueller's investigation into Russian ties to the 2016 Trump campaign has resulted in charges against some of his closest advisers, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn and ex-campaign officials Paul Manafort, Rick Gates and George Papadopoulos.

In Monday's report to the court, Jones said an additional 22,633 items seized from Cohen were still being reviewed by the Trump Organization to determine if any of that material should be excluded as privileged.

That review must be completed by Thursday.