Trump threatens to fire advisers LaCivita and Blair over paid work for pro-Russian Balkan government
President Trump posted on Truth Social Wednesday that he would "terminate them, immediately" if advisers Chris LaCivita and James Blair created any conflict of interest through outside consulting work. The statement followed a New York Times report that LaCivita, Trump's 2024 co-campaign manager, and Blair, his former deputy chief of staff, traveled to Republika Srpska — a territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina — to provide paid advice on voting issues for its pro-Russian government. Both men were reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars each through a Washington-based law firm retained by Republika Srpska's government.
President Trump on Wednesday distanced himself from LaCivita and Blair, posting on Truth Social that the two "are outside consultants" who "do not work for me, other than as outside consultants." He added that they are "allowed to do work for others, just like all consultants in Washington, D.C.," and said he was unaware of their other clients but would ask them and act if he found a conflict.
The New York Times report, cited by all outlets, described how LaCivita and Blair traveled to Republika Srpska ahead of elections there last Sunday. The advisers said they worked for the Republika Srpska government rather than the nationalist party that controls it, though CNN noted that the two are "essentially one and the same." The work occurred less than 30 days before the U.S. midterm elections, a timing detail that multiple outlets emphasized.
Despite Trump's public framing of the two as arms-length outside consultants, reporting from the Washington Examiner described Blair as leading meetings with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles to advise administration officials and congressional Republicans on midterm strategy. Blair is also described by the Examiner as the architect of the GOP's mid-decade redistricting strategy, initially projected to net Republicans upward of 15 seats, a target that the outlet said now looks likely to fall well short. Both men continue to work through Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC, which has spent tens of millions of dollars supporting Republican candidates, according to CNN.