Miller orders White House staff to get legal sign-off before meeting lobbyists
A new internal memo restricts access for registered lobbyists after Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress.
By Rebecca Svoboda ·
White House staff now require prior approval from the Office of White House Counsel before meeting with registered lobbyists. The new rule takes effect immediately following the midterm elections, where Republicans lost their majorities in the House and Senate.
Stephen Miller, who was named chief of staff on Friday, issued the memo last night. The directive applies to meetings on the White House complex involving government policy. A White House official described the change as a much stricter process than previous protocols.
The memo cites President Trump's dedication to the American people as the reason for the tight restrictions. "No President in history has fought more relentlessly, selflessly or courageously for the American People than President Trump," the document reads. It instructs staff to dedicate their time unwaveringly to working people.
The Office of Public Liaison will remain the primary point of contact for external stakeholders. This structure aims to centralize communication while limiting direct, unapproved interactions between staffers and lobbying groups.
Miller replaced Susie Wiles, who faced criticism for her ties to lobbying groups. Former senior health adviser Calley Means accused Wiles of prioritizing corporate donors over the administration's health agenda. "Susie Wiles, her career has been taking money from the industries and foreign governments who would pay her the most money," Means said on a podcast last week.
Means resigned from the Department of Health and Human Services last month. He argued that Wiles and her former deputy chief of staff, James Blair, hindered the Make America Healthy Again agenda by siding with corporate interests ahead of the elections.
White House spokesperson Allison Schuster defended the administration's record against allegations of outside influence. "President Trump is busy executing on his America First agenda that includes the largest working-class tax cuts in history, over a million private sector jobs added to the economy, a sealed shut border, and lowest violent crime to the lowest level in nearly a century," Schuster said.
