Trump distances himself from close allies who advised pro-Russian government in Europe

Por Alex Woodward — – World RSS Feed

Longtime advisers Chris LaCivita and James Blair sidelined as ‘outside consultants’ who ‘do not work for me’

Alex Woodward in New York Wednesday 07 October 2026 18:40 BST

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Longtime Trump adviser Chris LaCivita, left, was reportedly paid by the far-right government of Republika Srpska, a small self-governing territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina that supports Russian President Vladimir Putin ( Getty )

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Donald Trump has sought to distance himself from two close political advisers who traveled to the Balkans to advise the pro-Russian government of Republika Srpska while in the middle of crucial midterm elections planning in the U.S.

Chris LaCivita and James Blair, a pair of long-time allies and close advisers overseeing the president’s political operation, are merely “outside consultants” who “do not work for me,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“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!” the president wrote Wednesday.

LaCivita, who served as Trump’s 2024 co-campaign manager, and Blair, who until recently was Trump’s White House deputy chief of staff, were reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars through a Washington, D.C.-based law firm retained by Republika Srpska’s government ahead of Sunday’s elections in the small self-governing territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to The New York Times.

They reportedly defended their work for the far-right government, not the nationalist party that controls it, despite being largely the same. Under that party’s control, Republika Srpska has aligned itself with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Longtime Trump adviser Chris LaCivita, left, and James Blair were reportedly paid by the far-right government of Republika Srpska, a small self-governing territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina that supports Russian President Vladimir Putin ( Getty )

James Blair was previously Trump’s White House deputy chief of staff until earlier this year ( AFP/Getty )

After leaving the White House earlier this year, Blair now leads the Trump-connected super PAC MAGA Inc..

LaCivita works as a senior adviser to the group.

“Chris LaCivita and James Blair are outside consultants. 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,” Trump wrote Wednesday.

“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,” he added.

Republika Srpska leader Milorad Dodik, who has courted Trump’s support and thanked the US president, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin last month, in an image shared by Sputnik ( Reuters )

Trump’s announcement marked the latest in a streak of apparent reversals from a president who refuses to admit wrongdoing in the face of ethics scandals and criminal investigations.

On Monday, the president said he would stop using taxpayer money to run campaign-style television ads celebrating himself and his administration, though the White House said the president will not reimburse the government for millions of dollars already spent on the campaign.

Last month, the president said his son Donald Trump Jr. was paying back a Kremlin-connected Russian businessman for six-figure wedding celebrations revealed by ProPublica.

Umar Kremlev — the head of the International Boxing Association, which has a controversial, long-standing financial relationship to Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom — helped funnel money into renting a private island in the Bahamas, where a reception was held and where guests slept.

Kremlev said Tuesday that the president’s oldest son had reimbursed him for his wedding weekend party, though he questioned why the repayment was made. “Yes, he did,” Kremlev said during an International Boxing Association press conference in Istanbul. “He did repay the money I spent on the present.”