On Wednesday evening, Elon Musk’s xAI sent a rare email to reporters—alerting them that it had received a much-anticipated permit to use gas-powered turbines at its Memphis data center despite blowback from the surrounding community about pollution.
The notice was unusual. For one, it’s rare for xAI—the company that includes X, formerly Twitter, or any of Musk’s other wide array of ventures—to ever engage with the media. Musk famously disbanded the media relations teams across all of his companies years ago, and they now only communicate with the public via social media posts and retain full control of the narrative. xAI has repeatedly ignored reporters’ questions, including from Fortune, about its operations in Memphis and its use of generators that critics say spew toxic pollution.
But there was something else unusual about the email: It was from Katie Miller, wife of Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff.
Katie Miller, a seasoned political operative and communications manager, was among Musk’s highest-profile allegiants while he was a White House advisor and de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump’s Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, has credited Katie Miller as “a critical reason DOGE was able to get off the ground.” But as the alliance between Trump and Musk frayed, Katie Miller exited the White House at the end of May, reportedly to work full-time for Musk at his various ventures, according to CNN. Stephen and Katie Miller have not spoken publicly about her departure from the White House, nor her work with Musk.
Katie Miller’s departure from the White House set off a wave of palace intrigue over the fact that Stephen Miller remained with Trump while Katie now worked for his estranged cost-cutter in-chief. The relationship between Trump and Musk has only gotten worse since Katie Miller left, with Musk recently threatening to fund a rival political party to the Republicans while Trump has raised the possibility of retaliating against Musk’s companies and taking a “look” at deporting him.
xAI has, evidently, become one of Katie Miller’s areas of focus. The email she sent on Wednesday came from her xAI email address, and Miller’s account on X has featured news and updates about xAI, including its new permit, in addition to posts about Tesla and statements criticizing media outlets.
In Katie Miller’s email to reporters, she provided information about evaluations of pollution that regulators had conducted at xAI’s supercomputer site in Memphis. She also included a rare statement from xAI about the new permit that had been issued by the Shelby County Health Department.
“xAI welcomes today’s decision by the Shelby County Health Department,” she wrote. “Our onsite power generation will be equipped with state-of-the-art emissions control technology, making this facility the lowest emitting of its kind in the country. We look forward to being a valued partner to the Memphis Community for years to come.”
Katie Miller also sent at least one other email to reporters at the end of June, pointing out that the City of Memphis had conducted an independent third-party study at sites near the xAI data center and had found no dangerous pollutant levels.
Miller didn’t immediately respond to Fortune’s questions about the nature of her work with xAI and whether she was working with any of Musk’s other companies, which include Tesla and SpaceX.
