Blair and LaCivita advised Republika Srpska before vote
The New York Times reports that two Trump operatives got hundreds of thousands of dollars via a Washington law firm, while lobbyists were paid over $4 million.
Two of US President Donald Trump’s key political operatives, James Blair and Chris LaCivita, were in Republika Srpska, the entity in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina, ahead of its elections and advised its government, the New York Times reported. According to the paper’s sources, each received several hundred thousand dollars, and filings with the US Justice Department show that Banja Luka has paid more than $4 million to Trump-linked lobbyists since the start of last year.
Who hired the two advisers?
According to the New York Times, they got the job through a Washington law firm retained by the Republika Srpska government. Their work touched, among other things, on questions around the electoral process. Two people familiar with the arrangement said they worked for the government rather than for the party that runs it, though, as the article’s author puts it, in practice that is nearly the same thing.
The Republika Srpska government did not respond to the paper’s questions about the engagement or the sums paid.
The advisers promoted the stance of SNSD, the party of Milorad Dodik, in favor of Christian conservatism and against joining the European Union. Ahead of the vote, the party warned that its hold on power could be put in doubt by the introduction of voting machines similar to those that Trump and his allies still baselessly blame for his loss in the 2020 US presidential election. The paper assesses the engagement this way:
“This engagement is the latest example of how Mr. Trump’s advisers are making money by working with far-right politicians abroad who are seeking to curry favor with the American president, while defying the international community,” the New York Times wrote.
Who are Blair and LaCivita?
Blair was political director of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and LaCivita was one of its key leaders. Blair left his post as deputy White House chief of staff in the spring to take over MAGA Inc., a political committee that backs Trump and had $415 million on hand at the end of August. LaCivita is a senior adviser to that organization.
The two advisers returned from Republika Srpska on Monday, a day after the election was held on Sunday. MAGA Inc. spokesman Alex Pfeiffer declined to comment on the trip to the Balkans, but said in a message:
“James and Chris held a team meeting with the heads of the electoral races on Saturday morning to analyze the latest polling data.”
The trip came at a moment when both men hold key roles in the Trump team’s effort to limit Democratic gains in next month’s congressional elections. It is not unusual for consultants, lawyers and lobbyists linked to American presidents to offer their services to foreign governments and political campaigns.
How much has Republika Srpska paid lobbyists in total?
The two operatives are not alone. According to filings with the Justice Department, total payments exceed $4 million. Lobbyist Alex Garcia, who worked under Blair during Trump’s 2024 campaign, has a contract worth $35,000 a month, and his firm registered to represent Republika Srpska in February. According to two sources, Garcia also arranged a meeting last month at the White House between Zeljka Cvijanovic, an SNSD member, and Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles. Cvijanovic held on to the Serb seat in the Bosnian presidency in the election.
Republika Srpska has paid the firm of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich $1.325 million since last March, according to lobbying filings. Blagojevich said in an interview:
“They love Trump in Serbia and Republika Srpska. Being for Trump in Republika Srpska is a big political advantage.”
We previously reported on the Srpska government’s $750,000 contract with the DCI Group.
What did the lobbying and the sanctions change?
According to the New York Times, the campaign scored its biggest success late last year, when the Trump administration lifted sanctions on Dodik, members of his family and associates. The sanctions were first imposed in the last days of Barack Obama’s administration, stayed in place during Trump’s first term, and were expanded under Joe Biden, over actions that, in the view of US authorities, undermined the Dayton Agreement.
Adnan Cerimagic, an analyst at the European Stability Initiative, assessed that the backing of Trump’s allies and the lifting of sanctions helped Dodik and his party withstand domestic and international pressure:
“Not only did it give him legitimacy among his party’s voters, it also strengthened him politically against critics both inside the country and outside it.”
In his victory speech on Sunday evening, according to media reports, Dodik thanked Vladimir Putin for his support and credited Trump’s 2024 victory with creating a favorable political environment.
