Washington (CNN) Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election was allowed by a federal judge to review years of Michael Cohen's emails and other online data from the time he worked under Donald Trump, according to newly unsealed warrants used in his case in Manhattan federal court. The revelation gives new illumination to Mueller's work throughout 2017 -- before he had brought the bulk of his open criminal cases against defendants like former national security adviser Michael Flynn and a host of Russians for interfering in the election -- and shows how extensively Mueller had tracked computer data of those close to then-candidate Trump and the early days of his presidency. The search warrants released Tuesday say that the special counsel's office referred "certain aspects" of its investigation into Cohen to the New York-based US Attorney's Office. After pleading guilty in the Manhattan probe, Cohen also later pleaded guilty to lying to Congress in a case brought by Mueller's investigators. They have said he's been helpful to them, but have not revealed how so.

Source: CNN March 19, 2019 12:57 UTC