Former Trump health aide accuses officials of corruption

Summarised from 3 outlets · 6 reports · Updated 9 Nov, 19:20 · Archive

Calley Means, a former adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has accused Trump administration officials of prioritising special interests over voters.

Calley Means, a former senior adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has accused Trump administration officials of corruption and abandoning the health agenda they had campaigned on. Means, who recently resigned from his role, said in interviews with CBS News and on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that officials had prioritised special interests over voters.

Means claimed that Wiles, the White House chief of staff who has since left the administration, and a group of other advisers including deputy chiefs of staff James Blair and Richard Walters, policy adviser Walker Barrett, and pollster Tony Fabrizio, had catered to industries including vaping, ultra-processed food, pharmaceuticals and pesticides. He alleged they did this to secure funding for midterm elections at the expense of the health agenda.

Means had led efforts at the Department of Health and Human Services to revise dietary guidelines and remove soda and candy from SNAP benefits before resigning last month. He told CBS News that Wiles and her team 'explicitly catered to special interests against the will of the voters'. He specifically claimed Wiles and Blair pushed HHS to find a pathway to approve fruit-flavoured vapes; the Food and Drug Administration approved some fruit-flavoured e-cigarettes in early May.

Means described the situation as a failure of the president's intended agenda. 'I think a lot of this happened without Trump's full knowledge,' he told CBS News. 'I don't think President Trump fully knew that some of these advisers were taking money from the industries we ran on fighting against.' He blamed the officials' actions for contributing to Republican losses in the midterm elections, which Democrats won, taking both chambers of Congress and flipping dozens of House seats.

Wiles left the White House following the midterm losses. Stephen Miller replaced her as chief of staff, and Richard Walters also resigned from the administration on Friday.

How it is being reported

• Former RFK Jr adviser accuses Trump officials of prioritizing special interest groups over votersCalley Means claims officials abandoned Maha agenda and took money from sugar industry leading up to midterms A former top Trump administration health adviser accused Susie Wiles, whom Donald Trump removed as the White House chief of staff last week, of stalling the so-called “ Make America healthy again ” (Maha) agenda by prioritizing special interest groups and fundraising before the midterm elections. Calley Means, who resigned two weeks ago from his job advising Robert F Kennedy Jr, blamed Wiles and other Trump staffers for dropping the ball on the Maha agenda to take money from the…Guardian World · 9 Nov, 18:57
• Former MAHA advisor goes scorched earth on 'corrupt' Trump advisors for treating president 'like a baby'Calley Means, a former White House staffer focused on the Make America Health Again agenda, hit out at the 'corrupt' Trump advisors he said treated the president 'like a baby.'Daily Mail · 9 Nov, 07:14
• Former RFK Jr. adviser accuses Trump officials of corruptionCalley Means, a White House senior adviser and aide to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who resigned last month, said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that some Trump administration officials are catering to special interests.CBS News · 8 Nov, 21:46
• Full interview: Former top RFK Jr. aide Calley MeansWatch Margaret Brennan's full interview with former senior White House aide Calley Means, a portion of which aired on Nov. 8, 2026.CBS News · 8 Nov, 20:07
• Transcript: Calley Means on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Nov. 8, 2026The following is the full transcript of the interview with Calley Means, former senior adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a portion of which aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Nov. 8, 2026.CBS News · 8 Nov, 19:16
• Calley Means says Trump "has been subverted by people that are beholden to special interests"Calley Means, the former White House senior adviser and aide to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who resigned last month, told "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that he believes "President Trump has been subverted by people that are beholden to special interests and not what President Trump ran on, and what voters voted for."CBS News · 8 Nov, 18:48

In this story: Calley Means · Robert F. Kennedy Jr. · Susie Wiles · James Blair · Donald Trump · Stephen Miller · White House · Food and Drug Administration

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