Cohen Judge Says Avenatti’s `Publicity Tour’ Could Taint a Jury

Michael Avenatti’s “publicity tour” and harsh comments about Michael Cohen risk tainting a jury if a criminal case is brought against President Donald Trump’s longtime lawyer, a judge said.

Avenatti has been concerned that material seized in an FBI raid on Cohen’s office and home may include privileged documents and secretly recorded audio about his client, the adult-film star Stormy Daniels. A special master assigned to go through the seized material hasn’t identified whether any documents pertain to Daniels.

Shortly after a hearing before U.S. District JudgeKimba WoodWednesday, Avenatti withdrew his request to participate in the case, but ...