White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller can now participate in all administration policy discussions, The Atlantic reported. His wife, Katie Miller, ended business arrangements that had previously required him to recuse himself from certain government matters.
A White House official confirmed the change to The Atlantic, saying, “Stephen Miller is no longer subject to any recusals and may fully participate in all meetings and policy matters.”
The change follows Katie Miller’s decision to leave Elon Musk’s SpaceX, sell her company stock, give up future unvested equity and terminate a planned podcast agreement with Paramount. Katie’s resignation removed ethics restrictions that had prevented Stephen Miller from participating in discussions in terms of artificial intelligence, space policy and matters in which Paramount is involved.
President Donald Trump appointed Miller as White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles following the Republican Party’s losses in the 2026 midterm elections. Democrats secured control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, prompting a leadership reshuffle inside the administration.
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Steps taken by Katie Miller
Katie Miller had worked as an adviser to Elon Musk and SpaceX which created potential conflicts on issues like AI and US space policy. Hence, White House ethics lawyers had advised Stephen Miller to recuse himself from matters connected to his wife’s financial interests.
According to The Atlantic, Katie Miller formally ended her employment with SpaceX, sold her shares in the company and forfeited stock compensation that had not yet vested under her contract.
Katie Miller separately announced that she was ending The Katie Miller Podcast, saying she wanted to devote more time to raising the couple’s four children. “Nothing is more important than raising our four kids,” she wrote on X. “While I’ve loved the podcast, the time commitment is too great and now is the time to step away.”
White House lawyers had previously concluded that advertising sponsorships on Katie Miller’s podcast did not require Stephen Miller to recuse himself because sponsorship arrangements differed from consulting contracts. Even those issues will effectively disappear once the remaining recorded podcast episodes are released.
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Katie Miller lobbied for Stephen’s appointment?
Following Stephen Miller’s appointment as chief of staff, Katie Miller publicly celebrated the promotion on social media. “Watching your best friend and spouse achieve their dreams is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she wrote on X.
She later responded to reports that she had lobbied for the same and influenced Trump’s decision by posting, “BREAKING: Wife supports husband. If your wife doesn’t do this, find a new one.”
The Trump administration has raised renewed scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest regarding “improper influence” among senior officials and their families.
Former Health and Human Services adviser Calley Means recently alleged on Joe Rogan’s podcast that lobbyists with ties to senior administration officials were attempting to influence White House policy. Those comments added to the public debate over ethics and transparency inside the administration.
The Atlantic also noted that public concern over corruption became a significant issue during the recent midterm elections. Gallup polling published in September found that 89% of US adults believed corruption was widespread in government, the highest level recorded since the question was first asked two decades ago.