(TNND) — A prominent conservative podcaster and former vice presidential aide is facing scrutiny over what legal experts describe as a potential conflict of interest: Katie Miller repeatedly attacked xAI competitors online while holding a multimillion-dollar financial stake in Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, a tie she did not disclose to her followers.
The Washington Post reported that Miller, an American political adviser and podcaster who served as communications director to the vice president from 2020 to 2021 and press secretary to the vice president from 2019 to 2020, holds a stake valued at more than $1 million in xAI. The holding was disclosed in a financial filing by her husband, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
According to the Post, Katie Miller acquired the stock Dec. 19. In the nearly nine months after acquiring the stake, the Post reported she posted more than 400 times about ChatGPT, OpenAI or OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, with nearly all of those posts described as negative. Over that same period, the Post reported she regularly posted favorably about xAI and its chatbot, Grok, praising Grok more than 160 times.
Before acquiring the stock, Miller rarely mentioned OpenAI or other chatbots on social media, according to the Post. The Post also reported Miller previously consulted for xAI.
Miller told the Post she was not paid to make the posts and said they reflected her personal interest, not her role with the company. When asked about Federal Trade Commission disclosure guidance, Miller told the Post that owning stock was something “every other person in the world” does and called The Post “fake news.”
Legal experts told the Post that FTC guidelines require influencers to disclose financial ties that could affect how audiences view their recommendations.
The Post reported that Stephen Miller recused himself from official matters related to the company.
