Former RFK Jr. Aide Accuses Susie Wiles of Putting Industry First
Calley Means, a former aide to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., accused recently resigned White House chief of staff Susie Wiles of putting industry interests ahead of voters' health. Attorney General Todd Blanche dismissed the claims, while Rep. Robert Garcia said Congress is looking at them.
Calley Means, a former top aide to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., accused Susie Wiles, the recently resigned White House chief of staff, and other Trump officials of putting industry interests ahead of voters' health. He made the claim in an interview with CBS News' "Face the Nation" that aired Sunday, November 8, 2026.
Means resigned last month.
"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," Means told moderator Margaret Brennan. He said they justified it by saying the industries' money was needed for the midterms.
He said that Wiles and "a very close-knit crew" of other White House advisers "were taking money from the industries we ran on fighting against."
Wiles has not publicly commented on the claims. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Vape approvals at the center
Means made specific allegations Friday in an interview taped Thursday for "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. He called on President Donald Trump to "clear his house."
He claimed Wiles and her deputy, James Blair, relentlessly pushed HHS to find a way to approve fruit-flavored vapes. In early May, the Food and Drug Administration approved some fruit-flavored e-cigarettes.
Blair denied Means' account in a statement to CBS News. "I didn't promote flavored vaping specifically at all," he said. He said he was tasked with making the FDA's review process for nicotine device applications work as federal law requires, with a yes or no answer within six months.
Two sources familiar with the process said that Trump tasked Blair with pushing then-FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary to respond faster to nicotine industry applications. They also acknowledged that the president wanted flavored vapes to be more available.
Makary was pressed to resign in May amid reports of White House pressure to approve the products. In a statement to CBS News, he said Big Tobacco "put repeated pressure on me to approve fruit-flavored vapes that appeal to children—I wouldn't do it."
Washington reaction
Attorney General Todd Blanche, appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, dismissed the idea of looking into the claims. Asked about claims made on a podcast, he said: "I do not listen to that. Absolutely not." He praised Wiles for an "extraordinary job."
Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, the incoming House Oversight Committee chairman, appeared on the same program. "We're actually—we're looking at this very case," he said. He added that Oversight, Judiciary or other committees should investigate the allegations.
Means helped found the "Make America Healthy Again" movement and helped lead HHS efforts to revise dietary guidelines and remove soda and candy from SNAP food benefits.
