A former Trump insider who aired explosive claims on Joe Rogan's podcast accuses two of the president's top operatives of hounding him.
Calley Means, who served as a senior adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services until last month, on Saturday posted what he called a "formal request" for outgoing White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Trump political adviser James Blair to stop "harassing" him with texts and calls.
Means said that if either of them could point to a factual error in his remarks, they should put it in writing, and he would "vigorously correct and apologize for any misstatements." He added that other senior officials back up everything he said.
He also dared them to take him to court.
"If you want to file a lawsuit and get into discovery of whether it's provably true that Ballard and Continental had an undue influence on the White House policy process, do it," Means wrote.
Means was referring to Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm run by Florida Republican fundraiser Brian Ballard where Wiles worked for years before joining Trump’s White House, according to The New York Times, and Continental Strategy, a Trump-connected lobbying shop where her daughter Katie Wiles is a partner.
Blair, a Wiles ally from Florida who left the White House to run the GOP's midterm effort, fired back within the hour. He denied the harassment claim, saying he called Means the night before without getting an answer and that Means then messaged him. Blair said he warned Means he would consider suing if he was defamed, then stopped replying privately.
"Calley, your poor me act is tiring and embarrassing for a grown man who launched a smear campaign," Blair wrote. "I've been called worse things by better people than you. And I haven't even gotten started."
During the Rogan interview, Means accused Wiles of letting midterm fundraising drive health policy, The New York Times reported, and alleged that companies hiring her daughter got special treatment. He also accused Blair of taking money from the sugar industry.
Trump announced hours after the interview surfaced that Stephen Miller would replace Wiles on Monday. Means left HHS in October, frustrated that he couldn't advance the "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, Politico reported.
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