Means Accuses Wiles of Putting Fundraising Ahead of Health
Means, a former adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a prominent figure in the Make America Healthy Again effort, said Wiles repeatedly cited the need to raise money for the midterm elections. He alleged that she resisted efforts to improve children’s diets because of sugar-industry fundraising and that her team weakened proposed restrictions on kratom products after lobbying by the industry.
Means also accused Wiles of giving favorable attention to companies that employed her daughter, lobbyist Katie Wiles. He said the firm where she works, Continental Strategy, grew to about $30 million in annual revenue after Trump took office. The allegations were made in an interview published on Rogan’s podcast.
Means left the Department of Health and Human Services in October after becoming frustrated with his inability to advance his agenda. The White House did not directly answer the allegations. Spokeswoman Allison Schuster said the administration had made progress on the MAHA agenda, citing changes to dietary guidelines, efforts to remove artificial ingredients from food and investment in regenerative farming.
Trump announced that Wiles would move to his political operation and that deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller would take over on November 9. Trump praised Wiles’ work. Means’ accusations came hours before the announcement of her departure.
Means’ Claims Put Donor Influence at the Heart of Wiles’ Exit
The allegations against Wiles raise a direct question about whose interests shaped health policy inside the Trump White House. Means, a former adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said Wiles invoked midterm fundraising while opposing efforts to improve children’s diets and that her team eased proposed kratom restrictions after sustained industry lobbying.
He also alleged that companies employing Wiles’ daughter, lobbyist Katie Wiles, received high priority from the administration. Means said the firm where she works, Continental Strategy, grew to roughly $30 million in annual revenue after Trump took office. These are Means’ claims; the White House did not directly address them.
The dispute comes from within the administration’s own MAHA orbit: Means left HHS in October after failing to advance his agenda. The White House instead pointed to its work on dietary guidelines, artificial ingredients and regenerative farming. Those claimed accomplishments do not answer Means’ central accusation that lobbying and political money obstructed public-health proposals.
Trump said Wiles would move to his political operation and named Stephen Miller to replace her on November 9. His praise for Wiles leaves the allegations unresolved as the administration changes hands.
A Departing MAHA Adviser’s Claims Shadow Wiles’ Exit
Means’ accusations are serious, but they remain accusations from a former administration adviser who left after becoming frustrated with his inability to advance his MAHA agenda. He alleged that Wiles favored industry fundraising over health proposals and that companies hiring her daughter received favorable treatment. The White House did not directly address those claims.
The interview focused blame on Wiles, including claims about sugar-industry money and lobbying to loosen proposed kratom restrictions. Means also said the firm where Katie Wiles works grew to about $30 million in annual revenue after Trump took office. The claims do not, by themselves, establish that policy decisions were exchanged for political contributions or lobbying work.
The White House defended its broader health record, pointing to revised dietary guidelines, efforts to remove artificial ingredients from food and investment in regenerative farming. Means’ account presents a sharply different picture of the administration’s internal debates, but it is one former adviser’s account after he resigned in October.
Trump announced that Wiles would move to his political operation and that Stephen Miller would become chief of staff on November 9. Trump said Wiles had done an outstanding job.
Reported by Raw Story, The Daily Beast.
