President Donald Trump vowed Wednesday to fire any of his outside consultants found to have conflicts, following a report in The New York Times that two of his top advisers had worked for a pro-Russian regional government in the Balkans.
According to The Times, Chris LaCivita, who served as a senior adviser on Trump’s 2024 campaign, and longtime GOP political consultant James Blair were paid a hefty sum to travel to Republika Srpska, a tiny region of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The report stated that Blair and LaCivita were each paid hundreds of thousands of dollars through a Washington-based law firm. That firm had been retained by Republika Srpska’s government to provide counsel on voting issues, according to two people familiar with the engagement.
Those sources said the work was done for the government itself rather than the nationalist party that controls it. However, The Times noted that the government and the party are essentially one and the same.
The outlet cited four sources who requested anonymity. They confirmed that the two consultants traveled to the self-governing territory ahead of the region’s elections.
The Tuesday report also noted that Republika Srpska has aligned itself with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. According to The Times, the region has “spent heavily” in an effort to win over Trump and those aligned with him.
By Wednesday, Trump appeared to respond to the article in a post on Truth Social, drawing a clear line between his own operation and the consultants’ outside business.
“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.
The president defended the consultants’ right to take on other work, comparing them to others in the nation’s capital.
“They are allowed to do work for others, just like all consultants in Washington, D.C.,” he continued.
But Trump made clear he would not tolerate any conflict of interest, promising swift action if one were uncovered.
“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 post concluded.
The president’s response stopped short of confirming or denying the details of The Times’ report. Instead, Trump emphasized that LaCivita and Blair operate as outside consultants with their own client lists, and that he would personally look into who else they work for.
The pledge puts the two longtime Trump allies on notice. Should the president determine that their work for Republika Srpska’s government, or for any other client, creates a conflict, Trump has said he will cut ties with them immediately.
The report and the president’s response come as the consultants’ work for the Balkan region’s government draws fresh scrutiny, given Republika Srpska’s alignment with Putin and its heavy spending aimed at courting Trump and his allies.
LaCivita and Blair could not immediately be reached for comment.
[READ MORE: Leaked Audio Captures Paxton Privately Naming Gas Prices as His Campaign’s ‘Biggest Problem’]
