President Donald Trump is trying to extend the concept of executive privilege, which solely protects the president and official appointees, to his so-called "kitchen cabinet" — that is, outside advisers who simply provide him with guidance. "As court fight brews over demands for testimony and records from outside Trump advisers like Boris Epshteyn, DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel issues opinion arguing executive privilege extends to Kitchen Cabinet," Politico's Josh Gerstein argued on Monday. In June Trump joked that Epshteyn, a lawyer and political strategist who has long been part of his inner circle, as his "psychiatrist." Because Epshteyn is close to Trump, the president is apparently concerned that efforts to compel the lawyer to testify about potential criminal conduct could hurt him. This sweeping expansion of executive privilege marks a significant departure from historic legal norms, as courts have traditionally restricted this confidentiality shield to formal government employees to maintain public accountability.