Committee chairman U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche arrive for Blanche's Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be attorney general, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 15, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion hours after being sworn in.
The opinion extends executive privilege, or the laws that allow presidents to keep internal advice secret, to private citizens advising President Donald Trump.
The Senate confirmed Blancge in a 50-49 vote, NPR reported, after Republican holdouts secured written assurances the Department of Justice remains independent.
Politico's Josh Gerstein argued the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel's opinion coincided with demands for Boris Epshteyn's testimony.
Epshteyn, Trump's outside advisor, and MAGA podcaster Steve Bannon are named in active court filings as operatives in a scheme to pressure major law firms, Raw Story reported.
The American Bar Association argues Epshteyn's communications cannot be privileged precisely because he's a private citizen, the category now covered by Blanche's new opinion.
Former Meet the Press host Chuck Todd reacted to the news on social media, "So the WH is trying to extend executive privilege to private citizens that communicate with POTUS/WH."
"Legally dubious for sure, but the mere existence of this memo is the WH acknowledging a future with Cong subpoenas targeting the private sector who did 'deals' with Trump and his family and friends."
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