An internal battle has emerged inside the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement, with the CEO of a supplements company and a top adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leveling accusations against each other that include making threats of retribution, conflicts of interest and leaking false information to far-right activist Laura Loomer.
At the center of the fight are Peter Gillooly, CEO of The Wellness Company, and Calley Means, who in addition to serving as an adviser to RFK Jr. is the co-founder of a health care payments company and the brother of Casey Means, who was recently nominated to be the next surgeon general by President Donald Trump.
Accusations and Complaints
In a formal complaint to the Office of the Special Counsel and other agencies filed Saturday and obtained by POLITICO, Gillooly accuses Calley Means of abusing his position at HHS and violating the law prohibiting conflict of interest in government services by threatening to involve Kennedy and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya in the dispute.
During the call, Means accused The Wellness Company, a supplement vendor led by a medical board of vaccine opponents that is regularly promoted on conservative media, of leaking false information about his own company, Truemed, to Loomer. Truemed provides customers with doctors’ letters that allow them to use pre-tax dollars to purchase health and wellness products via their health insurance plans.
“I am going to sue the shit out of you and escalate this if it continues,” said Means, who is currently serving as a special government employee. In that role, Means is allowed to serve in a temporary capacity without having to step away from his personal business.
Implications and Reactions
The dispute puts on display the competing interests within Kennedy’s MAHA movement which has swiftly gained power and influence during Trump’s second term. The MAHA coalition has reshaped the federal government’s approach to health care as Kennedy has ousted roughly 25 percent of HHS staff and empowered vaccine opponents, wellness entrepreneurs and alternative medicine advocates with little to no government experience.
A lawyer for Truemed sent a cease and desist letter to Gillooly and The Wellness Company founder Foster Coulson on Monday, stating they have reason to believe the company spread false information about Truemed with Loomer for the purposes of embarrassing a competitor, according to a copy of the letter obtained by POLITICO.
Resolution and Next Steps
“He clearly states that if I do not accept his accusation and comply — which I am not guilty of in the first place — he will sue myself and my business,” Gillooly wrote in the complaint. “Additionally, Means threatens to blackmail my private corporation with HHS executive leadership if we do not comply with his demands, and extort my business into transacting with Truemed.”
“I think there needs to be a thorough investigation because this sort of behavior has no place in the federal government,” Gillooly told POLITICO.
The complaint was submitted Saturday to the Office of Special Counsel, HHS Office of Civil Rights, HHS Office of Inspector General and the Federal Trade Commission.
“In order to protect the integrity of our investigative process, HHS is unable to confirm any specific investigations or inquiries that may be taking place within the office,” an HHS spokesperson said in a statement. “The Office of Civil Rights thoroughly reviews each complaint and determines if it has the legal authority to review and investigate the complaint.”
The Office of Special Counsel, which handles complaints of government employee wrongdoing, and the HHS inspector general declined to comment. The FTC did not respond to a request for comment.
