(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Susie Wiles’s son-in-law could reap the benefits from a White House change of course on banning hemp products, according to reporting from MS NOW.
The Trump administration initially pushed to ban intoxicating hemp products by limiting how much THC could go in them, and recriminalizing certain products, including delta-8.
Those restrictions were set to take effect in November, but the White House has suddenly flip-flopped, and is now encouraging Congress to postpone the ban until Dec. 11 instead.
MS NOW reported that lawmakers were trying to figure out why the White House wants a delay, and “Susie Wiles’s son-in-law’s name keeps coming up as a potential beneficiary of a hemp ban delay.”
“Wiles’ new son-in-law, Bret Worley, is the CEO of MC Nutraceuticals, a major manufacturer and distributor of hemp-derived products. And his company has urged industry allies to pressure lawmakers to delay the upcoming ban on hemp-derived THC products,” MS NOW reported.
White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement that neither Wiles nor her son-in-law have anything to do with the White House request.
“The Chief of Staff has never lobbied in favor of this or any other position on hemp with Capitol Hill,” Desai said.
“The only interest guiding the Trump administration’s decision-making is the best interest of the American people, and the Administration continues to explore a Gold Science Standard-based framework on hemp to expand treatment options for American veterans and patients,” Desai said.
The White House flip-flop throws a wrench into negotiations over a stopgap government funding bill that Congress hoped to pass this week.
One senator who wanted the ban to take effect on time threw up his hands at the new White House delay.
“I tried to track down the origins, but I think this is absolutely ridiculous,” Sen. Ted Budd, (R-NC) told MS NOW. “We fixed this thing last year. We fixed it last November. They’ve had nine months to work on this, so why, all of a sudden, pop up for some seemingly innocent delay?”
The New York Times reported Wednesday “that after lawmakers included the pro-hemp provision in the stopgap funding measure, MC Nutraceuticals bragged in an email to prospective customers that the industry has ‘a seat at the table’ and would seek a permanent fix in another must-pass bill later this year,” the report said.
MS NOW said neither Wiles nor Worley responded to a request for comment.
The post Susie Wiles’ Son-in-Law Stands to Benefit from WH Hemp Ban Reversal: Report first appeared on Mediaite.
