A former senior aide and ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has accused departing White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles of accepting money from corporate and foreign interests in an effort to undermine President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda.
Trump announced Friday that Wiles, whom he has referred to as the “ice queen,” would leave the powerful post on Monday and move into a role within his political operation. Stephen Miller is set to succeed her.
Although Trump and other allies have praised Wiles’ tenure, former Kennedy adviser Calley Means alleged in an interview with Joe Rogan that her daughter’s lobbying work created a potential pay-to-play system.
Means, who left the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) two weeks ago, claimed that companies hiring Katie Wiles as a lobbyist could receive favorable treatment from the White House.
Among his most serious allegations, Means said businesses that retained the daughter of Trump’s longtime chief of staff were given greater priority when seeking funding from the administration.
“If you’re a special interest and you want to get something done, the secret’s out. You pay Susie’s daughter, and it was openly discussed when they had a client,” he told Rogan.
Means also accused Wiles of blocking MAHA initiatives because of corporate pressure and the administration’s desire to raise money for upcoming elections.
He said Wiles repeatedly told him, “We need money for the midterms, Calley. We need money for the midterms,” while alleging that she helped halt a study examining how sugar affects children.
A former senior aide and ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused departing Chief of Staff Susie Wiles of accepting corporate and foreign money to undermine RFK’s MAHA agenda.
While Trump and other allies have praised Wiles’ tenure, former Kennedy adviser Calley Means alleged that her daughter’s lobbying work was part of a pay-to-play arrangement.
“Everyone in DC convinced themselves that money is more important than voters. Again, that’s the Susie Wiles premise,” Means said.
He further claimed that Wiles told him directly: “I need the money from the sugar people to win the midterms.”
Means described Wiles, whom he called “the most powerful chief of staff in modern American history,” as the leader of a White House culture that dismissed the voters responsible for returning Trump to office for a second term.
“The simple reality [of] why I left is that there is a very concentrated group of people in the Trump administration that are antagonistic to what people voted for and are, frankly—I think it’s very clear—doing things for other reasons,” he said.
Means added that those motives were, “particularly in many cases, to enrich their families.”
He also alleged that Wiles was receptive to lobbying from the e-cigarette and kratom industries because of money flowing through lobbyists.
“Unrelenting lobbying happened and this Susie world… huge pushing, huge, huge pushing, meetings pushing from the West Wing… to relax the standards,” he said.
Our News Outlet has contacted the White House and HHS for comment.
Trump announced Friday that Wiles would leave the chief of staff position Monday for a role in his political operation, with Stephen Miller set to replace her.
Means called Wiles “the most powerful chief of staff in modern American history” and accused her of leading a culture that ignored the voters who returned Trump to the White House.
Trump confirmed the White House shake-up Friday, only days after a sweeping Democratic election victory delivered a major setback to the president and congressional Republicans.
“I am pleased to announce that Mr. Stephen Miller, the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Trump Administration, and one of my most trusted advisors, will become the Chief of Staff starting Monday, November 9, 2026,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Susie Wiles, who has done an outstanding job, will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation. I want to thank her for her service as Chief of Staff—She has done a great job!”
The scale of the Democrats’ victory earlier in the week could keep Republicans from reclaiming a congressional majority for much of the next decade, deepening calls from conservatives for Trump to overhaul his administration.
The abrupt announcement came as a surprise, although Our News Outlet reported in June that Wiles was privately preparing to leave after the midterm elections. The White House denied that report at the time.
Asked about the change Friday afternoon, Trump told reporters: “I wanted to make a change. I think Susie’s done a very good job, great job, but … we gotta make moves. Sometimes in life, you have to make moves.”
That explanation differed from the account provided by a senior White House official, who told Our News Outlet that Wiles “gave her resignation last night.”
President Trump praised Susie Wiles for doing an “outstanding job” and said she had “done a great job” as White House chief of staff.
The conflicting statements have fueled questions over whether Trump initiated the transition or whether Wiles chose to step down.
Trump said Miller had “been with me from the beginning,” describing him as “very good politically” and predicting that he “will do a great job.”
“It has been the privilege of my lifetime to have served on his team from Day One, and I am honored beyond words to serve as his White House Chief of Staff,” Miller said in a statement on X. “I want to thank the incomparable Susie Wiles for her years of devoted service to the President and the Country, and for her friendship.”
“The mission now is more clear than ever: Fight with all of our soul to support our President and defend this magnificent Republic.”
Wiles shared her own farewell message on X soon after Trump announced the transition.
“Today is my last day as White House Chief of Staff,” Wiles wrote Friday. “Serving President Trump in the White House has been the honor of a lifetime.”
“I’m so proud to have been a part of what we’ve accomplished together from securing our border and cutting taxes to strengthening our economy and putting America First. More than anything, I’m grateful for the extraordinary people I’ve had the privilege of working alongside.”
Her departure follows Our News Outlet’s initial report in June that she intended to leave after the midterm elections.
Wiles rejected that report at the time but left the administration only days after the election results were announced.
She is the longest-serving Republican White House chief of staff and has been a central figure in Trump’s political circle since his 2016 campaign.
