A former adviser to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has publicly accused White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and other Trump administration officials of corruption, claiming they accepted money from industries the administration pledged to oppose while blocking health policy reforms.
Public Allegations Surface
Calley Means made his allegations during an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, calling on President Trump to remove corrupt officials from his inner circle. Means told CBS News that Wiles and a small group of White House advisers accepted payments from the very industries the administration campaigned against. He specifically targeted their handling of flavored vaping regulations, claiming tobacco industry lobbyists gained inappropriate access to influence FDA decisions.
Wiles denied arranging meetings between tobacco representatives and the president at his Florida golf course. However, multiple sources confirmed to CBS News that such meetings occurred in May, where e-cigarette regulation was discussed. Means stated his goal was to get Wiles removed from her position, saying Trump had been undermined by officials beholden to special interests rather than voter priorities.
Vaping Policy Dispute
The controversy centers on the administration’s approach to flavored vape regulations. Trump vowed as a candidate to save the vaping industry and won support from e-cigarette companies and enthusiasts. Taylor Blair, another administration official named by Means, denied promoting flavored vaping specifically, saying he was tasked with making the FDA approval process work according to federal law. Two sources confirmed Blair was directed by Trump to push then-FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary for faster responses to nicotine industry applications.
Makary defended his record, stating he rejected pressure from tobacco companies to approve fruit-flavored vapes that appeal to children. He said tobacco lobbyists exploited their connections to administration officials to pressure him repeatedly, but he refused to compromise on protecting young people from nicotine addiction.
Broader Policy Conflicts
The allegations come amid tensions over the administration’s health policies. Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order boosting production of glyphosate, a herbicide linked to cancer by the World Health Organization. Kennedy, who spent decades challenging Monsanto over the chemical, expressed displeasure but said Trump considered it necessary for national security reasons based on Pentagon recommendations. The Supreme Court ruled in June that Monsanto cannot be held liable for failing to warn consumers about alleged cancer risks in Roundup.