Ex-RFK Jr. adviser alleges Trump admin corruption prompted resignation
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Calley Means in Washington D.C. on April 25, 2025. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Calley Means, a former adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said he resigned from the Trump administration over alleged internal corruption from a "concentrated group of people."
Why it matters: Means left the Trump administration two weeks before the midterm elections that saw the GOP engulfed by a blue wave. He is one of the first former administration members to speak out about his time in the executive branch.
What they're saying: "The simple reality in why I left is that there is a very concentrated group of people in the Trump administration that are antagonistic to what people voted for and are, frankly, — I think it's very clear — doing things for other reasons," Means said on Friday's episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience."
- "Particularly in many cases to enrich their families," he added.
- One of his most explosive allegations was that companies who hired the daughter of Susie Wiles, Trump's longtime White House chief of staff, as a lobbyist received higher priority for funding from the administration.
- The episode posted shortly before Trump announced that Stephen Miller is replacing Wiles as his chief of staff.
The other side: In a statement to Axios, White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster said the Trump administration "has already secured extensive victories" for the Make America Healthy Again agenda, "including overhauling the dietary guidelines for Americans, axing artificial ingredients in our food supply, and investing in regenerative farming."
- "President Trump and Secretary Kennedy continue to work around the clock to deliver more wins for the American people."
- The Department of Health and Human Services referred Axios' request for comment to Kennedy's X post, which said that he and Trump "intend to keep fighting until the American people—not corporate influence—drive our health policies."
State of play: In an interview with Joe Rogan, Means revisited a fight over the Trump administration's support for Bayer, the maker of Roundup, amid the MAHA's movement's push to crack down on chemicals like glyphosate, the weedkiller's active ingredient.
- Means alleged that White House officials worked behind the scenes to undermine Kennedy's team.
- He said a Justice Department lawyer, who previously worked at a firm that works with Bayer, allegedly wrote a draft opinion urging the Supreme Court to take up Bayer's case and limit its liability from lawsuits stemming from use of the weedkiller.
- The administration in April also backed Bayer's efforts to limit lawsuits claiming that its weedkiller Roundup causes cancer, drawing criticism from MAHA activists who pushed for greater scrutiny of the chemical.
- The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that federal law does not require cancer warning labels beyond Environmental Protection Agency mandates.
Zoom in: Means also expressed frustration at delays arriving at a definition of "ultra-processed food" — another top MAHA priority.
- "The amount of vitriol and lobbying on this issue, just having a simple definition out, because the food companies don't want people to know the truth," he said.
Flashback: In Means' resignation note, he said it was an honor to help overhaul dietary guidelines, advance psychedelic therapies, ban the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for soda and get food companies to voluntarily remove artificial dyes and other additives from products.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with more details on Means' allegations and responses from the White House and HHS.
Adriel Bettelheim contributed to this story.
