Ballard Partners tops $98 million in lobbying fees as MAGA feud erupts
Former HHS aide Calley Means accuses Susie Wiles and the firm of controlling policy for tobacco and pharma clients.
By Aiko Soto ·
Lobbying firm Ballard Partners reported more than $98 million in revenue through the first three quarters of 2026, a figure that already exceeds its record $88 million total from 2025.
The firm’s financial surge has become a focal point of internal conflict within the Republican Party following the midterm elections. Calley Means, a former senior aide to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., alleged on Sunday that Ballard Partners controlled White House policy.
Means, who resigned in late October, stated that the firm's rise to the top of the industry "did not happen by accident." He accused Susie Wiles, a former managing partner at Ballard Partners who served as Trump’s chief of staff, of catering to industries that funded Republican candidates.
Brian Ballard, a longtime Trump fundraiser who raised $50 million for the 2024 campaign, called the claims false. In a statement, he said the firm’s interactions with Wiles have been limited and exceptional rather than routine.
The dispute centers on the vaping industry. Means claimed Wiles and her deputies pushed the Food and Drug Administration to allow fruit-flavored vapes. This allegation follows the FDA’s May decision to issue guidance permitting major tobacco companies to sell such products.
The decision came one week after Ballard and tobacco executives had lunch with President Trump in Jupiter, Florida. RAI Services Company, a subsidiary of Reynolds American, had donated $5 million to the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. on April 30, days before the announcement.
Means also criticized former deputy chief of staff James Blair, who left the White House in April to lead GOP midterm strategy. Blair called the accusations "a complete and total lie" and said he is reviewing legal options to sue for defamation. He stated his role was to ensure the FDA ruled on nicotine applications within six months, not to advocate for specific products.
The White House maintained that outside groups never influenced policy decisions. A spokesperson for Wiles told Axios that Means’ accusations were "outrageous, defamatory, and provably false." Meanwhile, incoming House Oversight Committee Chairman Robert Garcia said he will investigate the claims against Wiles. Attorney General Todd Blanche dismissed the dispute as the work of a "disgruntled former administration official" and said the Justice Department would not open an investigation based on podcast remarks.
