A former senior White House adviser and top aide to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is accusing several Trump administration officials, including the
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, of prioritizing industry interests over the health of voters as part of the White House's strategy.
asserted
adviser → accuse → strategy
"Underneath Trump's nose, in many cases, you had a group of former lobbyists, catering to the vaping industry, catering to the ultra-processed food industry, catering to the pharmaceutical industry, catering to the pesticide industry and doing their bidding with an excuse that we need their money for the midterms and really need to actually go against what voters said,"
told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan in an interview that aired Sunday.
asserted
that → have → interview
Means helped found the "Make America Healthy Again" movement and helped form the winning alliance between Mr. Trump and Kennedy in 2024 before serving as Kennedy's top aide.
asserted
America → find → aide
Means helped lead the Department of Health and Human Services' efforts to revise the country's
and before resigning last month.
asserted
Means → lead → country
He told CBS News that Wiles and "a very close-knit crew" of other White House advisers "were taking money from the industries we ran on fighting against."
asserted
we → tell → industries
Means went public Friday with very specific allegations of corruption against Wiles and a call for President Trump to "clear his house" in an interview he taped Thursday for "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast.
asserted
he → go → podcast
He claimed Wiles and her deputy, James Blair, relentlessly pushed HHS to
to approve fruit-flavored vapes.
asserted
Wiles → claim → vapes
Blair denied Means' characterization of his role in the vape debate in a statement to CBS News.
asserted
Blair → deny → News
"I didn't promote flavored vaping specifically at all," Blair said.
asserted
Blair → promote → vaping
"I was tasked with driving FDA to make its process for approving or denying nicotine delivery device applications work the way current federal law dictates it works, which is that applicants get a yes or no answer on approval in six months.
asserted
applicants → task → months
Calley is intentionally misrepresenting my role and my responsibility because he opposes the issue entirely.
asserted
he → misrepresent → issue
Even though the president himself has made his position on smoking and smoking alternatives known very publicly and has provided clear direction.
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position → make → direction
Calley just doesn't like it."
asserted
Calley → like → it
Two sources familiar with the process told CBS News that Blair was tasked by Mr. Trump with driving then-FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary to more quickly respond to applications from the nicotine industry, but also acknowledged that the president sought to make flavored vapes more available.
As a 2024 presidential candidate, Mr. Trump vowed to "save" vaping and mentioned his past efforts on behalf of flavored vaping during his first administration, which he said in a social media post was intended to get people off smoking.
asserted
he → tell → people
Mr. Trump won backing from e-cigarette companies, shop owners and vaping enthusiasts.
asserted
Trump → win → companies
In May, Makary was pressed to
amid reports that he had been pressured by the White House to approve the fruit-flavored vapes.
uncertain
he → press → vapes
"Big tobacco exploited their connections to administration and HHS officials to put repeated pressure on me to approve fruit-flavored vapes that appeal to children—I wouldn't do it," Makary said in a statement to CBS News.
asserted
Makary → exploit → News
"The Kratom/7-OH lobby ran the same playbook to undermine my efforts to make this new 'gas station heroin' illegal.
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heroin → run → efforts
As FDA commissioner, I always rejected political corruption just as voters across the political spectrum did last week.
asserted
voters → reject → spectrum
Multiple sources confirmed to CBS News the New York Times' reporting in May that tobacco lobbyists had been at the president's Florida golf course with him at lunch and pushed him on the way e-cigarettes were being regulated by the FDA.
uncertain
cigarettes → confirm → FDA
Means claimed Wiles set up the meeting.
asserted
Wiles → claim → meeting
Wiles submitted her resignation to Mr. Trump on Thursday night, a U.S. official and a senior White House adviser told CBS News.
asserted
official → submit → News
Her resignation was tied to
, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
uncertain
resignation → tie → matter
The departure became public shortly after Mr. Trump taped an interview with 60 Minutes midday Friday.
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Trump → become → Minutes
When asked if it was his intention to get Wiles removed from her position, Means responded, "Yes.
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Means → ask → position
I think 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."
asserted
voters → think → what
It is not clear at this time whether the public remarks factored into the president's decision to expedite Wiles' departure.
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remarks → factor → departure
In a statement to CBS News, Wiles denied Means' allegations that she arranged for tobacco industry representatives to meet with the president at his golf course to discuss vape policy.
asserted
representatives → deny → policy
Earlier this year, Mr. Trump signed an executive order to boost production of glyphosate, a herbicide that is included in the weedkiller Roundup and which has been found to be linked to cancer.
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which → sign → cancer
WHO has deemed glyphosate to be "probably carcinogenic to humans."
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glyphosate → deem → humans
For decades as a private attorney, Kennedy had spearheaded a legal challenge to the chemical giant Monsanto for its use of the herbicide.
asserted
Kennedy → spearhead → herbicide
In a statement on social media at the time of the president's order, Kennedy said: "Our agricultural system depends heavily on these chemicals."
asserted
system → say → chemicals
Kennedy testified to Congress in March that he was "very clear with the president about my own displeasure with the executive order."
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he → testify → order
Kennedy said in that testimony the executive order on glyphosate "came from the Pentagon," and "the president felt it was necessary for national security reasons."
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it → say → reasons
In June, the Supreme Court sided with Monsanto, ruling that it cannot be held liable for failing to warn consumers about alleged cancer risks in Roundup.
asserted
it → side → Roundup
On "Face the Nation," Means accused White House adviser Heidi Overton of working with the Department of Justice to write a brief to the Supreme Court, urging them to take the case prior to Mr. Trump's executive order.
asserted
Means → accuse → order
A senior White House official told CBS News that the solicitor general wrote the brief for the Supreme Court at the request of the court.
asserted
general → tell → court
The official also said that Dr. Overton did weigh in on the brief in the final stages but just made changes to "tone."
asserted
Overton → say → changes
The Trump administration argued in court filings that federal standards supersede state-level liability claims, which was the same position taken by glyphosate-maker Monsanto, now known as Bayer.
uncertain
which → argue → Bayer
Means alleged the prior EPA review of glyphosate was "thrown out because it had ghostwritten research showing Bayer bribed EPA officials."
asserted
Bayer → allege → officials
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
