WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • Stephen Miller directed White House staffers to obtain approval before holding policy meetings with registered lobbyists at the White House complex.
  • The memo says staff should dedicate their time unwaveringly to the nation’s working people.
  • A lobbyist told Politico that Miller is difficult to influence and is not swayed by lobbying.
  • Trump elevated Miller after removing Susie Wiles from the White House chief of staff position.

White House chief of staff Stephen Miller has issued a blunt directive restricting staff meetings with registered lobbyists. The memo says staffers may not hold covered meetings at the White House complex unless they first receive permission.

A memo reviewed by Politico lays out the new standard and signals that Miller intends to run the operation differently from his predecessor, Susie Wiles. The restriction applies to “meetings on the White House complex with registered lobbyists related to government policy,” according to Politico.

The memo frames the policy around President Donald Trump’s commitment to American workers. It makes clear that White House staff members are expected to follow that example when deciding how to spend their time.

“No President in history has fought more relentlessly, selflessly or courageously for the American People than President 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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The order does not say that registered lobbyists can never attend policy meetings at the White House complex. It instead requires staffers to obtain permission before holding such meetings, placing another layer of approval between lobbyists and White House personnel.

The directive fits Miller’s reputation among those who have tried to influence him. One lobbyist told Politico that Miller is difficult to sway, even for people believed to have close ties to the administration.

Politico reported the lobbyist’s assessment: “impossible to lobby, no one can do it, not even the people that you would think are closest. I think he’s more reasonable than he’s being portrayed, but he’s not swayed by lobbying.”

Miller also does not have the same extensive history with lobbyists attributed to Wiles. His work outside government includes nonprofit legal work and operating his own consulting firm.

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Concerns about Wiles and lobbyists recently surfaced during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience. Former Health and Human Services official Calley Means, identified as a MAHA ally of HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said Wiles had become too close to lobbyists.

Miller had served as deputy White House chief of staff under Wiles before taking the top job. He has been with Trump since the beginning in 2016 and is described as an immigration hardliner.

The leadership change followed the midterm elections. According to Means, those elections were run along Wiles’ game plan, and Trump later removed Wiles from her position and elevated Miller to White House chief of staff.

Miller is a firm believer in remigration, mass deportation, and America first policies. His elevation therefore put a longtime Trump loyalist with firmly stated policy views in charge of White House staff operations.

Trump initially spoke after the midterms about working with Democrats. The promotion of Miller, however, drew a hostile response from incoming House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, who declared that Democrats would not work with Miller and called him a racist.

The memo now gives White House staffers a direct operational rule. Meetings involving registered lobbyists, government policy, and the White House complex require approval before they can proceed.

Its language also leaves little mystery about the priority Miller is setting for staff time. The stated standard is unwavering dedication to the nation’s working people, not routine access for lobbyists seeking policy meetings inside the White House complex.

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