Trump’s Top Campaign Aide Is a Tobacco Lobbyist
Susie Wiles of Mercury Public Affairs, a senior advisor to Trump's campaign, is lobbying for Swisher as it fights a proposal meant to reduce youth smoking.
One of Donald Trump’s top political advisors, Florida strategist Susie Wiles, is lobbying for tobacco company Swisher as it battles a Biden administration proposal meant to reduce youth smoking.
Wiles registered to lobby for Swisher on January 1 of this year on the topic of “FDA regulations,” according to a document filed with Congress. Until Aug. 28, Mercury Public Affairs, the bipartisan political consultancy where Wiles is a co-chair, had not filed quarterly lobbying reports for Wiles’ work on behalf of Swisher, as required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act. After Sludge inquired about the absent disclosures, Mercury Public Affairs filed a form it marked as an amendment, reporting $30,000 in income in the second quarter from Wiles’ lobbying of Congress regarding Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. Mercury still has not filed a report of Wiles’ Swisher lobbying for the first quarter of the year, despite being required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act to do so.
