White House staff must now get approval from the Office of White House Counsel before holding policy meetings with registered lobbyists on the White House complex, under a new directive from Chief of Staff Stephen Miller's office.
The memo, first obtained by POLITICO and reported on Thursday, was signed by Alina Bulazel, director of the Office of the Chief of Staff. It says staff "must receive prior approval from the Office of White House Counsel for meetings on the White House complex with registered lobbyists related to government policy."
"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," the memo says.
The directive is not a blanket ban on contact with lobbyists, but it adds a formal checkpoint: a policy meeting between a staffer and a paid advocate for a corporate client now needs a lawyer's sign-off before it happens. The memo directs questions about industry outreach to the Office of Public Liaison, which it says will remain the principal channel for engagement with outside stakeholders.
"President Trump's loyalty is to the American people, not lobbyists. His team is dedicated to advancing the President's agenda, not the agenda of D.C. lobbyists," White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told POLITICO.
The memo is the second internal directive from Miller's office to surface in his first week as chief of staff. President Donald Trump announced on November 6 that Miller would become the 33rd White House chief of staff, succeeding Susie Wiles, and Miller took over the post on Monday, November 9.
The move comes amid public scrutiny of lobbying firms' access to the White House under Wiles, who worked at Ballard Partners and Mercury Public Affairs before joining the Trump administration. Calley Means, a former senior adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., accused Ballard Partners of wielding undue influence inside the White House, a claim the firm has denied, saying its interactions with Wiles as chief of staff were "limited" and "the exception, not the rule."
The memo's visible text does not address meetings held off the White House complex, contacts with people who are not registered lobbyists, or the criteria the counsel's office will use to grant approval.
