RFK Jr.'s Ex-Aide Accuses Susie Wiles of Doing Vape and Pharma Lobbyists' Bidding: 'We Need Their Money for the Midterms'

Calley Means, a former senior adviser to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has accused senior Trump administration officials of allowing commercial interests to obstruct the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda, claiming they invoked the need for campaign money ahead of the midterm elections.

'We need their money for the midterms,' Means said in an interview broadcast on 8 November 2026. He alleged that officials accommodated vaping, ultra-processed food, pharmaceutical, and pesticide interests despite the health promises that helped unite supporters of Kennedy and Donald Trump.

The allegations expose tensions between public-health promises, industry lobbying, and political priorities. They remain unproven.

Vape Policy Became a Flashpoint

Means said former White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and her deputy, James Blair, pressed the Department of Health and Human Services to find a way to approve fruit-flavoured e-cigarettes. Wiles denied arranging a meeting between tobacco representatives and Trump at his Florida golf club to discuss vape regulation.

On 5 May 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorised four Glas electronic nicotine-delivery products for marketing. The authorisation covered two menthol products and two non-menthol products, Gold and Sapphire. Marketing authorisation is not a declaration that a product is safe.

Blair denied promoting flavoured vaping. He said Trump tasked him with ensuring the FDA decided nicotine-product applications within the six-month period required by federal law.

Former FDA commissioner Marty Makary separately said tobacco interests repeatedly pressured him to approve fruit-flavoured products that could appeal to children. He said he resisted that pressure, but his statement did not establish that Wiles directed the alleged lobbying.

Vaccine Approval Adds to MAHA's Internal Tensions

Means also accused White House adviser Heidi Overton of obstructing Kennedy's health agenda. He alleged she told Makary she could not help him on other policies unless he approved Moderna's mRNA influenza vaccine, MFLUSIVA. Overton's spokesman defended her qualifications, citing support from two former FDA commissioners.

The FDA approved MFLUSIVA on 5 August 2026 for adults aged 50 and over. The decision confirms the vaccine's regulatory status, but does not substantiate Means' account of the discussions surrounding its approval.

The dispute highlights MAHA's challenge in questioning established health-industry practices while the administration makes decisions on medicines and commercial regulation. An approval alone cannot establish whether lobbying influenced it.

Midterm Money Allegations Remain Contested

Means said industry representatives resisted his proposed federal definition of ultra-processed food, arguing greater transparency could affect their businesses. He alleged officials cited midterm funding to justify accommodating industry.

His claim that officials were 'taking money' from industries they had campaigned against is serious. He has not publicly provided evidence of policy decisions being exchanged for political contributions. The White House rejected his allegations, while Blair disputed his account and warned he would consider legal action if Means defamed him. Lobbyist Brian Ballard also denied that his firm lobbied Wiles or White House officials on glyphosate policy or flavoured vapes.

Means resigned from his administration role in October 2026. His subsequent criticism has focused attention on whether MAHA can deliver its promised changes when its priorities conflict with commercial interests. For now, the dispute rests on competing accounts, not an established finding of corruption.