Cohen document dump is 'more proof' Trump needs to be 'genuinely concerned' about Manhattan investigation: Ex-prosecutor

Former United States Attorney Paul Charlton told MSNBC Tuesday that the materials contained in the Michael Cohen search warrant, publicly released today, proves that the Southern District of New York's investigation into the Trump Organization is a much greater threat to the president than Robert Mueller's Russia probe.

Charlton made the remark during a wider discussion about attorney-client privilege, and whether it applied to the seized materials, saying the warrant "proves the true independence of the Southern District of New York."

"It takes a bold prosecution office to execute a search warrant on any lawyer's offices, let alone the lawyer for the president of the United States," he said. "Many of these documents that were revealed and disclosed indicated that there was no true privilege because these were crimes that were being committed, not legal advice being given."

"The greatest Trump supporters right now will tell you that their fear is not so much from Bob Mueller and the special counsel's office, but from the Southern District of New York," Charlton added. "This search warrant affidavit is more proof as to why it is the Trump Administration should be genuinely concerned about this group of independent prosecutors."