Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday dismissed corruption allegations made by former Trump health adviser Calley Means against senior White House officials, calling Means a disgruntled former administration official. Blanche told CNN he would not investigate claims Means made on a podcast, even as former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary corroborated aspects of the allegations and Representative Marlin Stutzman, an Indiana Republican, said any impropriety claims should be examined.
Means alleged in a Friday interview that former White House chief of staff Susie Wiles blocked an initiative to examine children's sugar consumption because she wanted sugar industry donations for midterm elections. He also accused Wiles' deputies of pushing policies favorable to flavored vaping and kratom industries, and said Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio advised against defining ultra-processed foods while receiving money from PepsiCo. Trump announced Friday that Wiles would be replaced by Stephen Miller.
Makary told CBS in a statement that big tobacco exploited connections to administration and Health and Human Services officials, alleging repeated pressure to approve fruit-flavored vapes. Makary said kratom lobbyists similarly tried to undermine his attempts to restrict the substances, but did not identify which officials pressured him.
Former White House adviser James Blair, whom Means accused of wrongdoing, disputed the allegations and said he followed Trump's instructions to ensure the FDA made timely decisions on applications. Fabrizio called Means' claim that he was in the pocket of big pharma ridiculous and demonstrably false. Lobbying firm Ballard Partners, where Wiles worked seven years ago, said it did not lobby the White House on flavored vapes or glyphosate as Means alleged. The White House and Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment.