WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 10: U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by (L-R) White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, Jayme Leagh Franklin with the The Conservateur, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holds up a sign that reads "Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations" before signing an executive order calling for childhood vaccine shots to be spaced out into separate visits during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on August 10, 2026 in Washington, DC. During his second term, Trump has urged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to investigate further research on vaccines. (Credit: Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The Justice Department has issued a new legal opinion saying President Donald Trump may invoke executive privilege over certain communications with outside advisers who do not work for the federal government, potentially shielding those advisers from congressional investigations and other legal proceedings.
The 21-page opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel says the privilege can apply when confidential communications with private advisers concern "official presidential decisionmaking" and involve the president or his immediate advisers. The opinion is not binding but represents the Justice Department's interpretation of the scope of presidential confidentiality.
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
