Susie Wiles called senior advisers into her West Wing office shortly after 8:15 a.m. Friday as a growing scandal over Trump allies profiting from their political access threatened to overwhelm the White House just weeks before the midterm elections.
The president’s chief of staff appeared “panicked,” according to a source familiar with the meeting, as she faced mounting political and media pressure over two of Trump’s leading political operatives accepting lucrative foreign consulting work.
Concern was also mounting over reports involving Wiles’ own daughters and alleged pro-Russia foreign lobbying efforts, two sources familiar with the atmosphere inside the White House said.
The administration was caught off guard last week by a New York Times report saying Chris LaCivita and James Blair—two of Trump’s most trusted political strategists—had traveled to the Balkans over the October 4 weekend to advise a Putin-aligned government that had declared itself the winner of an election.
The revelation triggered widespread outrage, coming as Trump’s key political operatives for the 2026 midterms were abroad collecting substantial consulting fees. Republicans are already facing difficult odds as they work to retain control of the House and Senate, with party operatives increasingly voicing alarm.
Wiles initially met with Walker Barrett, her policy chief and close aide, before bringing in additional senior officials, including Megan Bauer, who leads Cabinet Affairs, for the early-morning discussion.
According to a source, Wiles told staff that the White House was not involved in the midterm campaign and that responsibility rested with “Chris and James.”
The crisis unfolded while the White House’s top communications post remained unfilled and damaging headlines continued to spread. Later that day, Trump announced that Katie Zacharia, a 41-year-old pro-MAGA commentator, would become his press secretary.
A White House official disputed the characterization of the gathering as a crisis meeting, saying Wiles had held her “usual” Friday morning meetings. The official declined to discuss the substance of her conversations with aides.
Trump, however, is “furious,” according to an administration official. The president has reportedly been calling allies to seek advice on how to respond to the embarrassing disclosure involving LaCivita and Blair.
Republican officials are increasingly worried about their party’s shrinking chances in next month’s midterm elections, with some blaming Trump’s political operation for the setbacks.
Chris LaCivita, Trump’s 2024 campaign co-manager, was reportedly in the Balkans around the October 4 weekend advising a foreign government.
Sources said Susie Wiles held discussions with senior aides Friday morning as pressure mounted over the foreign consulting controversy.
Although Trump said several days earlier that he saw no conflict, his position appeared to shift as the controversy intensified behind the scenes.
The uproar has given Democrats new material as early voting gets underway. Republican operatives told Our News Outlet that the party’s hold on Congress appears increasingly vulnerable with each passing day in October.
LaCivita and Blair traveled to Republika Srpska, a political entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina, after its Putin-friendly leader, Milorad Dodik, claimed victory. The trip is just one of several controversies now confronting Trump.
Our News Outlet reported Thursday that Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump’s ambassador to Greece, was facing an internal investigation into allegations involving possible substance abuse, the use of private aircraft and helicopters, ties to an energy and construction company, improper gifts and other concerns.
Trump said he was “not happy” about the unfavorable coverage, and Guilfoyle resigned from her post as ambassador to Greece on Tuesday.
CNN also reported last week on the finances of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and an unpaid White House adviser, raising questions about whether his investments in an Israeli company might represent “a major conflict of interest.”
The controversy focused on Affinity Partners, Kushner’s private equity firm. Affinity is the biggest shareholder in Phoenix Financial, an Israeli company valued at more than $100 billion that manages pensions, insurance policies and savings for millions of people.
He fired back in a rare dictum, claiming that he had enough of the media’s ‘lies.’
Kushner shredded the CNN article for being ‘deeply misleading’ and noted that Affinity ‘does not own the defense companies highlighted in CNN’s story.’
But the damage of the negative press may already have had a big enough impact.
‘The juxtaposition of those stories with the rising cost of gas and everyday goods, it’s not a good one,’ a senior GOP campaign operative said.
‘The timing couldn’t be worse. It shows a lack of seriousness from people who are otherwise or purportedly very serious individuals.’
Steve Bannon, a first-term Trump adviser, branded LaCivita and Blair ‘grifters’ on social media after the story broke.
A representative for LaCivita and Blair was contacted for comment.
Former White House deputy chief of staff James Blair, who Trump tasked with leading his political operation MAGA Inc, also joined the trip to the Balkans
Trump’s Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, stirred headlines about her conduct before resigning on Tuesday
Democratic Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff has been attacking Jared Kushner as ‘Prince Jared’ for his involvement in negotiating deals as a volunteer for the White House while overseeing a multi-billion-dollar private equity firm
‘The average American reports they can’t afford to pay their grocery or gas bills,’ former Kamala Harris advisor and Democratic strategist Mike Nellis told Our News Outlet. ‘Donald Trump is focused on the wrong stuff.’
Democrats on the trail are contrasting voters’ squeezed budgets with the fortunes being made in Trump’s orbit.
Kushner, who leads US conflict negotiations as a volunteer adviser while overseeing a multi-billion-dollar private equity empire, has been targeted by South Carolina Democratic Senate hopeful Annie Andrews and Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who dubbed him ‘Prince Jared.’
Kushner leads US conflict negotiations as an unpaid adviser while overseeing a multi-billion-dollar private equity firm.
A representative for Kushner was contacted for comment.
Ossoff, who political strategists believe to be laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential bid, has also gone after the president’s close aide Natalie Harp.
‘If I’m the Democrats, I’m going to take whatever I can get; it’s a midterm election year,’ the national GOP operative said.
Prediction market Kalshi gives Republicans a 38.5 percent chance of holding the Senate and just 10.6 percent of keeping the House.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is in a razor thin race with challenger James Talarico, but GOP officials are blown away at the half billion dollars the race is expected to cost
Republican Senator Roger Marshall’s path to re-election has recently been riddled with doubt after Cook Political Report changed the race from leaning reliably toward the GOP to a toss-up
Nowhere is the strain clearer than Texas, where the Senate race has already cost $300 million and is on track to reach half a billion, a source familiar with GOP spending told Our News Outlet.
That is $100 million more than the party’s original $400 million estimate.
The bill follows Trump’s late endorsement of Attorney General Ken Paxton, who went on to topple incumbent Senator John Cornyn in May’s runoff. Cornyn had warned a Paxton nomination would drain resources from other battlegrounds.
‘Ken is going to be fine, it’s just gonna cost a lot more money than we thought,’ the national GOP operative said.
Polls show Paxton neck and neck with Democrat James Talarico. Paxton’s campaign was contacted for comment.
The squeeze is being felt in Kansas, which last elected a Democratic senator in 1932. Cook Political Report this week moved Senator Roger Marshall’s race against Democrat Adam Hamilton from Lean Republican to Toss Up.
A Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC pledged this week to spend $5 million on ads there.
Elsewhere, Alaska and Ohio will be ‘knife fights,’ Georgia is ‘tough’ and South Carolina will be fine as long as the GOP ‘plays it safe,’ the national operative said.
In the House, The Cook Political Report recently re-rated 18 seats in Democrats’ favor.
The senior GOP operative blamed two headwinds of the administration’s own making: ‘Gas prices and the Iran War. Obviously, there are a lot of qualms about that.’
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