Stephen Miller, the new White House chief of staff, issued a memo forbidding staff from meeting lobbyists on building grounds without approval. This policy follows claims that the administration favored corporate donors. The memo said, "White House staff are expected to dedicate their time unwaveringly to the working people."
The office of Stephen Miller, President Trump's new chief of staff, outlined a new policy that seeks to show independence from special interests.
President Trump's new White House chief of staff is wasting little time trying to differentiate himself from his predecessor.
The office of Stephen Miller, a longtime Trump aide who was elevated to chief of staff last week after Susie Wiles was ousted, issued a memo forbidding White House staff from meeting with lobbyists about policy issues on the building's grounds without prior approval, according to a person who received the memo and was not authorized to disclose it.
"No President in history has fought more relentlessly, selflessly or courageously for the American People than President Trump," reads the memo. "Following his example, White House staff are expected to dedicate their time unwaveringly to the working people of the nation."
The White House did not respond to questions on Thursday night about the memo and what prompted it.
The memo, which was posted on social media by a podcaster allied with Mr. Trump on Thursday and also reported by Politico, follows claims last week by a former top Trump administration health adviser who accused the White House of catering to lobbyists and their clients raising significant funds for the president's political groups and projects.
Calley Means, a prominent figure in the Make America Healthy Again movement, blamed Ms. Wiles.
Mr. Means, who resigned last month from the Department of Health and Human Services, contended that Ms. Wiles tilted administration health policy to favor corporate donors who hired well-connected lobbyists over ordinary Americans.
He specifically cited Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm where Ms. Wiles once worked, and Ms. Wiles's daughter, Katie Wiles, who is a partner at the lobbying firm Continental Strategy.