The controversy arrives 28 days before the U.S. midterm elections, while Blair and LaCivita are leading the campaign's advertising and congressional operations. The government of Republika Srpska, led by nationalist Milorad Dodik, has paid more than $4 million to Trump-linked lobbyists and operatives since early 2025. The entity has maintained close ties with Vladimir Putin while seeking to strengthen relations with the former president and his allies.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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Trump Says Midterm Advisers Have No Conflict After Firing Threats
US Politics14 days ago
Donald Trump told reporters that his political strategists are independent operators whose external clients do not compromise their work for his campaign. This stance follows a threat by Trump to fire advisers James Blair and Chris LaCivita if an investigation into their business dealings revealed conflicts of interest. The pair recently traveled to Bosnia's Republika Srpska to provide election advice to a Russia-aligned government and were each paid hundreds of thousands of dollars through a Washington law firm. Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, has unfollowed both aides on social media.
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