Former Trump Administration Health Advisor Targets Susie Wiles for MAHA Morass

A former health policy official is claiming President Trump’s top aide was running a side hustle through the White House and is now attempting to “throw President Trump under the bus” as his allegations have come to light.The erstwhile aide to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Calley Means, on Monday expanded days of attacks, accusing the former White House chief of staff Susie Wiles of using the lobbying firm where she previously worked, Ballard Partners, to run a public relations campaign to defend her and blame the president for the administration’s heeling to the tobacco and pesticide industries.In a Monday X post, Mr. Means accused Ms. Wiles of “executing a systematic strategy” against the president to lobby on behalf of food and drug companies to block “Make America Healthy Again” policies.“What’s most demonic is that Susie and Ballard are taking aim at the foundational claim I’ve made that she and her cronies on K street didn’t prioritize corporate interests to a larger degree than Americans voted for. Ballard is actually making the argument with a straight face they didn’t materially coordinate with Susie to rig policies,” he wrote.Mr. Means resigned as a senior adviser on healthcare and nutrition policy for the Health and Human Services Department late last month over frustrations with stalled reform. Speaking Friday on the “Joe Rogan Experience,” he accused Ms. Wiles of having companies pay for access through the firm. Mr. Means shared a lobbying form showing the firm’s founder, Brian Ballard, acted as a lobbyist for Bayer during the period when Mr. Trump signed an executive order shielding Roundup producer Bayer and other manufacturers of the weedkiller glyphosate from lawsuits. Members of Mr. Kennedy’s MAHA movement were outraged over the order and highly critical of justifying the use of glyphosate in the name of national security. “He is either lying or throwing President Trump under the bus. Which one is it @BallardFirm,” Mr. Means asked of Mr. Ballard.In a statement on Sunday, Mr. Ballard said that Mr. Means that no one in the company lobbied or communicated with anyone in the West Wing about the executive order on glyphosate. He added that his firm has only occasionally spoken with Mr. Wiles while she was chief of staff.In an earlier X message refuting the claims, Mr. Ballard said that Mr. Means is using news articles as backup to his charges, but the citations belie his contentions. Mr. Ballard referenced a May 2026 story by the New York Times about a White House meeting between Mr. Ballard and the president over vaping guidance. The article noted that Mr. Ballard is a fundraiser for the president. “Mr. Means’ accusation and insinuation against our firm center on our alleged lobbying of White House staff and/or Susie Wiles to circumvent the direct will of the President, which is clearly and demonstrably false and would have been clear to you if he had published the full text of the story,” Mr. Ballard wrote in his post.“Mr. Means has publicly committed to correct and apologize for any factual error identified to him in writing. This statement identifies two. I expect him to honor that commitment,” Mr. Ballard said in his statement.Ms. Wiles has not publicly commented on the allegations. Mr. Means claims he received multiple texts and calls from Ms. Wiles and A deputy chief of staff, James Blair threatening lawsuits. “Susie – I’m not intimidated and you will not scare me,” Mr. Means said. “Again, please stop sending me emotional texts. This is not personal – this is civilizational.”Mr. Trump announced Friday that he was replacing Ms. Wiles with Stephen Miller calling him “one of my most trusted advisors.” Mr. Means has called on the new White House chief of staff to “exorcise” Ms. Wiles so-called culture of corruption from the administration. He also encouraged other former and current leaders in the administration to speak out. “Let’s identify the problem – so Stephen Miller and President Trump can solve it,” Mr. Means said.In a Sunday CBS News interview, Mr. Means said he went public with his complaints with the intention to get Ms. Wiles removed from her role. “I think underneath Trump’s nose, in many cases, you had a group of former lobbyists, catering to the vaping industry, catering to the ultra-processed food industry, catering to the pharmaceutical industry, catering to the pesticide industry and doing their bidding,” Mr. Means said.

Former Trump Administration Health Advisor Targets Susie Wiles for MAHA Morass

Former Trump Administration Health Advisor Targets Susie Wiles for MAHA Morass

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