(The Center Square) -The U.S. Department of Justice has broadened the interpretation of “executive privilege,” a statute that shields certain sensitive presidential communications from public, judicial, or congressional oversight. “The need for presidential confidentiality applies to communications with private advisers just as it does with government officials,” the Office concluded. To enjoy executive privilege, the communications must “relate to official presidential decisionmaking, involve or reflect communications with the President or his direct advisers, and are confidential.” Scott Amey, General Counsel for the Project On Government Oversight, believes the move is “an effort to conceal information for a decade or more.” “The Office of Legal Counsel used to have sufficient independence from the president to give sound legal advice to the executive branch,” Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., posted on social media Tuesday.