Stephen Miller clamps down on lobbyist meetings for White House staff

Susie Wiles, a former managing partner and lobbyist at Ballard Partners, was known for cultivating relationships with the lobbying industry during her time serving President Donald Trump. But now that she is out as chief of staff, it appears that the White House staff’s interactions with registered lobbyists will be cut down dramatically.In a new memo issued Thursday, Miller’s office said any meetings between staffers and lobbyists related to government policy must receive prior approval from the Office of White House Counsel. “No President in history has fought more relentlessly, selflessly or courageously for the American People than President Trump,” the memo states. “Following his example, White House staff are expected to dedicate their time unwaveringly to the working people of the nation.”The move came after days of former Trump administration adviser Calley Means alleging Wiles played a role in setting back the Make America Healthy Again policy agenda because of her lobbying connections.In an interview with Joe Rogan last week, Means accused Wiles of slowing progress on making American children’s diets healthier while accepting money from the sugar industry. Wiles allegedly said, according to Means, that the White House needed money for the midterm elections. Means departed the administration less than two weeks before the November election.Coincidentally, the former MAHA adviser’s appearance on Rogan’s podcast came on the same day as Wiles’s resignation. Last Friday, Trump announced she returned to work for Trump’s political operation.Means also took the feud to social media, claiming Wiles and former White House deputy chief of staff James Blair harassed him with texts and phone calls after accusing them of corruption and undermining the MAHA movement. Wiles and Blair both denied the claims. Means said the former White House officials were considering suing him over the allegations.CALLEY MEANS BLAMES SUSIE WILES AND NEPOTISM FOR STALLING MAHA PRIORITIESIn the meantime, Miller is committed to rooting out any undue lobbyist influence that may impede Trump’s agenda. The new chief of staff is widely recognized as a closer ideological match to the president than Wiles was, though both are considered longtime Trump loyalists.“President Trump’s loyalty is to the American people, not lobbyists. His team is dedicated to advancing the President’s agenda, not the agenda of D.C. lobbyists,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Politico. “All of the White House components continue to work in lockstep to implement President Trump’s America First agenda.”