DOJ Shields Trump’s Private Advisers From Congress With 21-Page Privilege Memo
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 12
DOJ Shields Trump’s Private Advisers From Congress With 21-Page Privilege Memo
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 12
Summary
A 21-page Office of Legal Counsel memo says private citizens advising Donald Trump on official presidential decisions can invoke executive privilege if Congress subpoenas them.
The opinion argues presidential confidentiality applies to outside advisers just as it does to government officials, saying presidents need candid advice from experts who might otherwise fear public exposure or business fallout.
The nonbinding guidance broadens protection for Trump’s private advisers and attorneys as Democrats campaign to retake Congress and have pledged new probes into Trump, his family business dealings and financial investments.
Chuck Schumer called the memo proof Trump is "scared" of a Democratic Congress, accusing Attorney General Todd Blanche of helping shield communications with advisers and special-interest allies.
The memo grounds its case in historical examples — from Andrew Jackson’s Kitchen Cabinet to Franklin Roosevelt’s Brain Trust — signaling a more aggressive executive-privilege posture ahead of possible midterm-era subpoena fights.
How will federal courts respond when this expanded executive privilege inevitably clashes with ongoing legal demands for private adviser communications?
Will extending executive confidentiality to non-government experts fundamentally rewrite the rules of presidential transparency and historical record-keeping?