The new White House chief of staff Stephen Miller has moved to tighten access for lobbyists, requiring administration officials to obtain prior approval before holding policy-related meetings with registered lobbyists inside the White House complex.
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chief → move → complex
This is again a sharp departure from Susie Wiles who cultivated relationships with lobbyists, corporate executives and political donors.
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who → cultivate → lobbyists
According to a memo circulated to White House staff, employees must obtain approval from the Office of White House Counsel before meeting registered lobbyists on the White House complex to discuss government policy.
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employees → accord → policy
The memo, signed by Alina Bulazel, director of the Office of the Chief of Staff, said staff members were expected to follow Trump's example by dedicating their time to working Americans rather than outside interests.
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members → sign → interests
What does the memo say?
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memo → say → What
As reported by POLITICO, the memo says: “No President in history has fought more relentlessly, selflessly or courageously for the American People than President Trump.
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President → report → Trump
Following his example, White House staff are expected to dedicate their time unwaveringly to the working people of the nation.
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staff → follow → nation
The restrictions do not amount to a complete ban on lobbyists meeting administration officials but a prior approval is now mandatory.
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approval → amount → officials
Miller's appointment unsettles K Street
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appointment → unsettle → Street
Miller's elevation to chief of staff has unsettled Republican lobbyists, many of whom fear that their traditional channels of influence over the administration could become less effective.
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channels → unsettle → administration
A dozen Republican lobbyists told POLITICO that Miller is known for his ideological rigidity, loyalty to Trump and reluctance to be influenced through personal relationships.
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Miller → tell → relationships
Unlike Wiles, who spent much of her career working in lobbying and political consulting, Miller has built his reputation around advancing Trump's policy agenda, particularly on immigration and the broader America First platform.
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Miller → spend → immigration
Hunter Morgen, a lobbyist at Ballard Partners who worked with Miller during Trump's first administration, said Miller was not someone lobbyists could easily persuade through relationship-building.
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lobbyists → work → building
"He doesn't operate based on relationships.
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He → operate → relationships
He operates based on policy outcomes that will advance the president's agenda," Morgen said.
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Morgen → operate → agenda
The memo also came amid allegations about the influence of lobbying firms and their connections to the Trump administration.
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memo → come → administration
Wiles, who was replaced by Miller, previously worked at lobbying firms Ballard Partners and Mercury Public Affairs before becoming Trump's chief of staff.
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who → replace → staff
Her connections to the lobbying industry have come under renewed scrutiny following allegations by Calley Means, a former adviser to Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr., that corporate interests and well-connected lobbyists enjoyed undue influence over White House decisions.
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interests → come → decisions
Means specifically raised questions about Ballard Partners, whose founder Brian Ballard has longstanding ties to Trump.
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Means → raise → Trump
Ballard has rejected the allegations and said his firm's interactions with Wiles during her tenure as chief of staff were limited.
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interactions → reject → staff
Wiles' allies have also pushed back against accusations of improper influence.
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allies → push → influence
A White House spokesperson said Trump's loyalty was to the American people, not lobbyists, and that the administration remained focused on implementing his America First agenda.
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administration → say → agenda
The new restrictions, however, may not prevent corporate executives and wealthy business leaders from reaching Trump directly.
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restrictions → prevent → Trump
The president has maintained relationships with business leaders through private meetings, events and other channels outside the formal lobbying process.
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president → maintain → process
The Aporia
