President Donald Trump just threatened to cut ties with two well-known political advisers if their work as consultants abroad caused a conflict, after The New York Times reported that they had been employed by a government in the Balkans that is aligned with Russia.
According to the Times, James Blair and Chris LaCivita, who are two experienced members of Trump’s political operation, went to Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Sunday before the elections there to give advice to its government on election matters.
Trump reacted to the report on Truth Social by claiming that neither of the two men is his employee.
“Chris LaCivita and James Blair are outside consultants,” he wrote. “They do not work for me, other than as outside consultants. They most likely have numerous clients, but for that, you would have to ask them. 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! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP”
The Times stated that Blair and LaCivita each received hundreds of thousands of dollars through a law firm based in Washington which had been engaged by the Republika Srpska government. Four individuals who were familiar with their travels told the newspaper that the two had spent several days in the area before the election.
The fact that they are working abroad comes while both men are still taking part in Trump’s political operation in the lead-up to the November midterms. According to the Times, they are in charge of a major advertising campaign intended to assist Republicans in their congressional races.
LaCivita was one of Trump’s campaign managers during his successful campaign for president in 2024, while Blair held the position of political director before moving on to join the White House as deputy chief of staff. Blair then left the administration in order to concentrate on the 2026 elections.
The government of Republika Srpska has built up close relations with Moscow and with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while at the same time having spent millions of dollars developing connections with people in the United States who are aligned with Trump.
The way that Trump is now acting means that attention will be directed towards whether the foreign clients of Blair and LaCivita overlap with those whom they have worked for in his political operation, a point which the president said he plans to ask them himself.