Key Takeaways:
– President-elect Trump has chosen Susie Wiles, a lifetime lobbyist, as his White House chief of staff.
– Wiles represented 42 clients as a registered federal government lobbyist from 2017 to 2024.
– Among Wiles’ clients are several controversial organizations, including a tobacco company and a foreign mining company.
– Trump’s choice has raised concerns about corporate influence in the administration.
– Wiles agrees to disclose details of her lobbying work and agree not to lobby the federal government again after her tenure.
Another Turn in the Trump Administration
In a surprising twist, President-elect Donald Trump has decided on Susie Wiles, an experienced Republican strategist, as his White House chief of staff. Wiles, who previously worked as a lobbyist, has represented a vast array of clients, including several questionable enterprises.
Wiles’ Background and Lobbying Clients
Between 2017 and 2024, Wiles had at least 42 clients for whom she was a registered federal government lobbyist. The organizations have diverse interests, from waste management to foreign news companies.
Among them is a waste management company that didn’t want to remove nuclear waste from its landfill. Another one is an international copper and gold mining firm, hoping to squash federal opposition to its plans of excavating a primary watershed. A tobacco firm is also on her client-list, which reportedly tried to obstruct federal health restrictions on their candy-flavored cigars. These cigars have been flagged by FDA as appealing to children.
Moreover, a foreign news firm, whose owner faces charges for money laundering, and an overseas mining private equity firm planning to develop an open-pit leach gold mine on federal public lands also used her lobbying services.
Concerns About Corporate Influence
Trump’s choice of Wiles may indicate that corporate interests will have a significant role in the incoming administration. This move, as critics argue, contradicts his previous promise to ‘drain the swamp’ and his recent criticism of lobbyists’ disproportionate power in Washington, D.C. According to Trump, their making a lot of money is a problem that needs to be addressed. He even suggested prohibiting lobbyists from taking up governmental roles to curb this issue.
However, this seems to be a far cry from his actual decisions. Data reveals that the first Trump administration saw the entry of over 280 lobbyists, which is roughly one for every 14 political appointments. Even Ballard Partners, Wiles’ lobbying firm, saw an upward trajectory in its income during Trump’s first term, peaking in 2020 with a revenue of 24.4 million dollars.
The administration’s influence by corporate interest might become more pronounced with figures like Elon Musk, the world’s richest man who also has extensive governmental contracts, solidifying their roles within it. Early this week, Trump selected Musk and biotech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a commission tasked with recommending cuts to federal spending and regulations.
Call for Transparency
Given the apprehensions around corporate influence and conflicts of interest, the watchdog Public Citizen has urged Wiles to disclose details of her lobbying work. The organization wants her to recuse herself from decisions involving her past clients and also refrain from lobbying the federal government after her White House tenure.
As Inauguration Day approaches, these potential conflicts of interests warrant serious examination. Whether these demands will be met or whether the doors of the White House will be open to corporate influence, only time will tell.