Chris LaCivita and James Blair travelled to Republika Srpska, a semi-autonomous entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ahead of local elections while serving as advisers in charge of the president’s political operation and leading his midterm strategy.
The pair spent approximately 36 to 48 hours there, offering strategic advice on election integrity, including how to identify and avoid potential election fraud. They reportedly returned on Monday from a weekend visit to the Serbian enclave.
Each adviser received hundreds of thousands of dollars through a Washington law firm for the work.
The engagement was for the Republika Srpska government rather than the nationalist party that controls it. LaCivita and Blair were also advising the ruling party led by Milorad Dodik, who had won a recent election in the region.
Dodik expressed gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin during his victory address. His party had warned that new voting machines could threaten its hold on power after a national election commission required Republika Srpska to use new ballots and Smartmatic voting equipment.
A spokesperson for MAGA Inc. said LaCivita and Blair joined a Saturday-morning team call with race captains to discuss recent survey results during the midterm campaign.
The New York Times disclosed the advisers’ work on Tuesday. The report set off intense backlash within Republican circles during the final stretch of an election cycle in which the Republican party was pouring millions into fiercely contested congressional midterm races.
On Wednesday, President Trump admonished his top political advisers for taking work for other clients during the height of the midterm campaign.
In a social-media post, Trump called LaCivita and Blair “outside consultants” who “do not work for me”. He said he would ask them for a list of their other clients.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump described their position differently from that of White House staff. “All they are is consultants. They don't work in the White House. They're not sitting around a Cabinet table or anything like that,” he said.
Blair had been the White House’s deputy chief of staff until April, with responsibility for legislative, political and public affairs. He later moved to MAGA Inc. to lead Republican midterm efforts, after also serving as a senior adviser on Trump’s 2024 campaign.
LaCivita co-managed Trump’s 2024 campaign and is now a senior adviser at MAGA Inc. Late in that campaign, Trump confronted him over how much money he was making. After the election, LaCivita sued the Daily Beast over allegations about his compensation, and both sides agreed to drop the case in January.
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