{"id":41673,"date":"2026-08-12T21:36:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T16:36:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=41673"},"modified":"2026-08-12T21:36:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T16:36:33","slug":"trumps-private-advisers-can-now-claim-executive-privilege-with-olc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=41673","title":{"rendered":"Trump&#8217;s private advisers can now claim executive privilege with OLC"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">President Donald Trump&#8217;s private advisors and attorneys are now protected by executive privilege as long as their conversations relate to the president&#8217;s official decision-making, according to a Tuesday memo from the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_2963861\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-ally-digenova-tapped-lead-doj-probe-brennan-over-russia-probe-origins\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Justice Department<\/a>&#8216;s Office of Legal Counsel.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">&#8220;The need for presidential confidentiality applies to communications with private advisers just as it does with government officials,&#8221; the 21-page memo stated.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The memo, written by Assistant Attorney General Elliot Gaiser, comes months ahead of the midterm elections as Democrats battle for control of Congress. Democrats have pledged to continue their investigations into Trump and his family&#8217;s business dealings and financial investments, potentially using subpoenas and congressional hearings to advance those probes.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_2963862\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-ag-pick-todd-blanche-faces-senate-test-first-major-confirmation-fight-since-grahams-death\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TRUMP AG PICK TODD BLANCHE FACES SENATE TEST IN FIRST MAJOR CONFIRMATION FIGHT SINCE GRAHAM\u2019S DEATH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/Split-Capitol-Trump.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/Split-Capitol-Trump.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/Split-Capitol-Trump.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/Split-Capitol-Trump.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/Split-Capitol-Trump.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"A split image of the Capitol Building and Donald Trump\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>A split image of the Capitol Building and Donald Trump<\/span> <span>((Photo by Alex Wong\/Getty Images) Finn Gomez\/Getty Images))<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Under the Office of Legal Counsel&#8217;s new nonbinding memo, private citizens who have offered advice in confidential conversations with Trump or White House staffers about official presidential duties can claim executive privilege if they&#8217;re subpoenaed by Congress.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;The presidential communications privilege is rooted in the need for confidentiality to ensure that [this] presidential decision-making is of the highest caliber, informed by honest advice and full knowledge,&#8221; the memo stated. &#8220;Without a promise of confidentiality, the President\u2019s ability to \u2018decide and act quickly\u2019 on matters of unrivaled importance would be seriously hindered.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The memo noted that the president may sometimes need expertise and guidance from <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_2963863\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-ag-pick-todd-blanche-faces-senate-test-first-major-confirmation-fight-since-grahams-death\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">an outside source<\/a> who could be crucial to making the best decision. Gaiser also acknowledged that a private adviser to the president may be more hesitant to offer guidance because of concerns that doing so could negatively affect the adviser&#8217;s livelihood.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Such individuals may be reluctant to provide advice on controversial or unpopular policies based on a fear of public disclosure or potential ramifications for their personal endeavors,&#8221; the memo stated.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/343\/192\/Acting-AG-Todd-Blanche-Committee-Confirmation.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/686\/384\/Acting-AG-Todd-Blanche-Committee-Confirmation.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/672\/378\/Acting-AG-Todd-Blanche-Committee-Confirmation.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1344\/756\/Acting-AG-Todd-Blanche-Committee-Confirmation.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1200\/675\/Acting-AG-Todd-Blanche-Committee-Confirmation.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Todd Blanche stands before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room in Washington, D.C.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for his nomination to be attorney general at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., on July 15, 2026.<\/span> <span>(Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Gaiser pointed to a long history of presidents seeking advice from people <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_2963864\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-announces-aide-step-white-house-counsel-post\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">outside the federal government<\/a>. Andrew Jackson had his informal &#8220;Kitchen Cabinet,&#8221; while Franklin D. Roosevelt turned to a group of academics known as his &#8220;Brain Trust.&#8221; The memo also noted that Grover Cleveland consulted financier J.P. Morgan during a Treasury gold shortage and Lyndon B. Johnson sought advice from trusted friends outside the government during the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_2963865\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/schumer-dodges-questions-after-bombshell-report-alleges-dem-senator-had-relationships-house-staffers\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>SCHUMER DODGES QUESTIONS AFTER BOMBSHELL REPORT ALLEGES DEM SENATOR HAD RELATIONSHIPS WITH HOUSE STAFFERS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Yet throughout history, Presidents have relied on private advisers (or, at minimum, advisers outside the Executive Branch) to perform their executive function,&#8221; Gaiser wrote.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_2963866\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/schumer-dodges-questions-after-bombshell-report-alleges-dem-senator-had-relationships-house-staffers\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer<\/a>, D-NY, interpreted the Justice Department memo as a sign that Trump is worried about what could come if Democrats win control of Congress.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/chuck-schumer-1.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/chuck-schumer-1.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/chuck-schumer-1.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/chuck-schumer-1.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/chuck-schumer-1.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Sen. Chuck Schumer\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., departs after a weekly Senate Democratic Policy luncheon at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on July 29, 2026.<\/span> <span>(Alex Wroblewski \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_2963867\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/newsletters\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;Donald Trump is scared,&#8221; Schumer wrote on X. &#8220;He knows accountability is coming. He\u2019s using his newly installed Attorney General\/personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, to cover up his communications with private advisers and special interest cronies.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;These are the actions of someone with something to hide,&#8221; Schumer continued. &#8220;And it shows he is petrified of the questions a Democratic Congress will demand answers to. We will not let Trump escape the accountability he deserves.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Elaine Mallon is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business covering national politics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! President Donald Trump&#8217;s private advisors and attorneys are now protected by executive privilege as long as their conversations relate to the president&#8217;s official decision-making, according to a Tuesday memo from the Justice Department&#8216;s Office of Legal Counsel. &#8220;The need for presidential confidentiality applies to communications with private&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Split-Capitol-Trump.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}