Two of President Donald Trump’s leading midterm election advisers were reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars each to consult for a pro-Russian political group in the Balkans just one month before Election Day.
James Blair, a former White House deputy chief of staff, and Chris LaCivita, who served as a co-manager of Trump’s 2024 campaign, are overseeing Trump’s political operation for the 2026 midterm elections. The pair traveled to a remote Balkan region last weekend while earning substantial consulting fees, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to The New York Times.
Blair and LaCivita visited Republika Srpska, a self-governing entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina, where they were reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars each to advise the government on local election matters, the sources said.
Republika Srpska has developed close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has invested heavily in efforts to build relations with Trump. The two American advisers were in the region ahead of Sunday’s election.
The nationalist party secured a decisive victory, although the vote was marred by reported delays and technical problems.
The trip came roughly a month before the U.S. midterm elections, for which Trump and the Republican Party have placed Blair and LaCivita in charge of key political efforts.
After The New York Times report was published, Trump said on social media that he could dismiss the pair if their outside work created a conflict of interest.
“Chris LaCivita and James Blair are outside consultants,” Trump wrote. “They do not work for me, other than as outside consultants.”
President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita reportedly traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina over the weekend to advise the government ahead of its Sunday election
Former White House deputy chief of staff James Blair also traveled to the Balkans to advise the self-governing territory of Republika Srpska
“They most likely have numerous clients, but for that, you would have to ask them,” Trump wrote. “They are allowed to do work for others, just like all consultants in Washington, D.C. I do not have any idea who else they work for but will, on reflection, ask them and, if there’s a conflict, I will terminate them, immediately!”
The revelation comes as Republicans confront increasingly difficult odds of maintaining control in Washington, a reality that has raised concern among some GOP insiders.
“We are out here fighting for our lives and these dudes are in some random a** country made up of too many consonants no one has ever heard of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars while telling all of us to chill out because they’ve got it,” one Republican operative told Politico. “It’s legitimately shocking.”
“I think it may piss DJT off,” a source close to the White House told the outlet.
Blair, LaCivita, Republika Srpska and the White House were contacted for comment.
Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesman for MAGA Inc., told Our News Outlet: “James and Chris hosted a team call with race captains on Saturday morning to go over recent survey data.”
Milorad Dodik, a Bosnian Serb nationalist politician who is barred from holding office, credited Putin and Trump while celebrating his party’s latest election victory, according to local media reports.
Dodik met Putin in Moscow on September 29, five days before the election. After returning home, he described Republika Srpska as a strategic partner of Russia and proposed holding annual joint sessions between the two governments.
Milorad Dodik, a Bosnian Serb nationalist politician banned from holding office, celebrated his party’s recent election victory by thanking Putin and Trump, according to local media reports
The Balkan trip took place as Trump crisscrossed the United States, holding campaign rallies for Republican candidates facing difficult races.
Blair, who served as political director of Trump’s winning 2024 campaign, left the White House in the spring to run MAGA Inc, Trump’s political operation.
Caroline Wren, a lobbyist for the Republic of Srpska who was on the ground for this weekend’s election, told Our News Outlet that the Trump administration has promoted Christians around the world, including the Republic.
‘The Trump Administration has made a huge priority of protecting and promoting Christians around the world and there is no better place to do that than the Republic of Srpska whose strong Christian faith and support of President Trump has made them a target in the region by the UN and EU,’ she said.
The super PAC is expected to spend tens of millions to support Republicans across the country, and it has already transferred funds to line candidates’ coffers.
LaCivita serves as a senior advisor to MAGA Inc, and has been involved in Republican campaigns this cycle.
Prediction market Kalshi data puts the Republicans’ chances of maintaining control of the House of Representatives at 10 percent. In the Senate, Republicans have a 36 percent chance of holding onto power.
‘If this doesn’t show how checked out Republicans are, not sure what does,’ another GOP operative told Politico.
