Blanche dismisses Means allegations as GOP's MAHA feud deepens
Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday dismissed former Trump health adviser Calley Means' corruption allegations against senior White House officials, even as a former FDA commissioner described pressure from tobacco lobbyists and a Republican congressman called for scrutiny.
Key points
- Absolutely not." Blanche called Means a "disgruntled former administration official" and praised former White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who Trump announced Friday would be replaced by Stephen Miller.
- The other side: Former White House adviser James Blair, one of Wiles' allies that Means has accused of wrongdoing, disputed Means' allegations in messages to Axios.
- Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) told CNN that "any allegation of any impropriety like this should be looked at." Driving the news: Means, who alleged widespread corruption in a Friday interview with Joe Rogan, told CBS' "Face the Nation" that he had wanted Wiles removed.
The latest: Asked on CNN's "State of the Union" whether the DOJ would investigate Means' allegations, Blanche responded: "Something that someone says on a podcast?
Additional details
- Ballard Partners said it did not lobby Wiles or anyone in the White House on fruit-flavored vapes or another issue Means mentioned, glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup, owned by Bayer.
- On "Fox News Sunday," Blanche said allegations about Wiles' financial dealings did not concern him.
- In a statement on X, the lobbying firm Ballard Partners took exception to Means' "false" accusations about its interactions with Wiles, who had worked at the company seven years ago.
- In February, Trump outraged MAHA activists by signing an executive order to grant "immunity" to glyphosate producers as Bayer struggled under the weight of lawsuits over roundup.
- Means accused Wiles of blocking an initiative to examine children's sugar consumption because she wanted sugar-industry donations for the midterms.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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