Two architects of Donald Trump’s political comeback are facing scrutiny after reports revealed they advised the leadership of Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina. With the U.S. midterm elections approaching, Trump says he will investigate whether their Balkan connections pose a conflict of interest.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (BalkanView) — U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to terminate his relationship with two prominent political advisers following revelations that they provided consulting services to the leadership of Republika Srpska, a Serb-majority entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina whose political establishment has maintained close ties with Russia.
Chris LaCivita, who co-managed Trump’s successful 2024 presidential campaign, and James Blair, a former deputy White House chief of staff, reportedly travelled to the Balkans to advise the Bosnian Serb leadership ahead of elections held on Oct. 4.
The disclosure, initially reported by The New York Times and subsequently detailed by the Financial Times, prompted questions about potential conflicts between the advisers’ work for Trump’s political network and their activities abroad.
Writing on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, Trump sought to distance himself from the two strategists.
He said LaCivita and Blair did not work directly for him, describing them instead as outside consultants.
However, the president said he would seek clarification about their other clients and end their relationship if he identified a conflict of interest.
“I will terminate them, immediately!” Trump wrote.
Two influential figures in Trump’s political operation
The controversy involves two figures closely associated with Trump’s return to the White House.
LaCivita was a central strategist in Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, helping direct the operation that returned the Republican leader to power.
Blair served as deputy White House chief of staff before leaving the administration in April 2026 to focus on Republican electoral activities.
Both are associated with MAGA Inc., the Trump-aligned political action committee that has accumulated approximately $400 million to support Republican candidates ahead of the November congressional elections.
Their work for Republika Srpska has raised questions about whether political consultants involved in domestic U.S. campaigns should simultaneously advise foreign political actors whose policies may intersect with American foreign-policy interests.
The Financial Times reported that MAGA Inc. had not immediately responded to a request for comment.
Why Republika Srpska matters
Republika Srpska is one of the two principal entities established within Bosnia and Herzegovina under the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the Bosnian war.
The entity has extensive powers of self-government but remains constitutionally part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Its political leadership has frequently clashed with Western governments over the authority of Bosnia’s central institutions and the role of international officials overseeing the peace settlement.
Bosnian Serb political figures have also cultivated relations with Moscow, while the United States and European governments have repeatedly expressed concern about separatist rhetoric and challenges to the country’s constitutional order.
Against that background, the involvement of political advisers closely connected to Trump has attracted attention beyond the Balkans.
The issue is not simply whether American consultants may legally work for foreign clients, but whether such relationships create competing interests when those consultants also have access to influential political networks in Washington.
The Financial Times report did not establish that LaCivita or Blair had acted unlawfully or influenced U.S. foreign policy on behalf of their Balkan clients.
Trump says advisers are independent
Despite threatening to terminate the advisers if a conflict emerged, Trump also defended their independence.
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, he argued that neither man currently occupied a government position.
“They don’t have a conflict because they are independent people,” Trump said.
He added that they were not working inside the White House or participating in cabinet discussions.
Nevertheless, Trump said he intended to request information about their clients.
The president’s response suggested that the issue had become sensitive enough to warrant a public clarification, particularly as Republicans prepare for congressional elections in November.
A politically sensitive moment
The controversy comes less than a month before the U.S. midterm elections, when Republicans will seek to defend their position in Congress.
MAGA Inc. is playing an important role in financing Republican campaigns, making its advisers’ outside business relationships a potential source of scrutiny.
Blair’s departure from the White House earlier this year had been accompanied by praise from Trump, who described him as one of the country’s brightest political strategists and indicated that he could return to the administration after the midterms.
LaCivita, meanwhile, has remained influential in Republican campaign politics despite never holding a formal staff position in Trump’s administration.
His consulting business has previously attracted controversy over reported payments for his work during the 2024 presidential campaign.
He has also faced criticism from factions within the Republican movement over his involvement in party primary contests.
Balkan politics reaches Washington
The case highlights how political developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina can intersect with the highest levels of American electoral politics.
For Republika Srpska’s leadership, access to consultants familiar with Trump’s political operation offers an opportunity to draw on American campaign expertise.
For Washington, however, the relationship raises questions about transparency and the boundaries between private political consulting, foreign clients and access to senior U.S. political figures.
The immediate issue is whether Trump will identify a conflict of interest after reviewing the advisers’ outside work.
For now, the president has neither announced their dismissal nor established that their consulting activities breached any rules.
But his public warning has placed two of the figures associated with his political comeback under renewed scrutiny — and brought the politics of Bosnia’s Serb-majority entity into the debate surrounding the U.S. midterm elections.