Trump associates advised Dodik for hundreds of thousands of dollars — Al Jazeera
Political associates of US President Donald Trump, James Blair and Chris LaCivita, advised pro-Russian politician Milorad Dodik ahead of the October 4 elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As Al Jazeera reports, citing The New York Times, each of them received hundreds of thousands of dollars for this work.
Lobbying expenditures
According to The New York Times, Blair and LaCivita were hired through a Washington law firm engaged by the government of Republika Srpska, the Serbian entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Documents filed with the US Department of Justice show that since the beginning of 2025, Republika Srpska has spent more than $4 million on lobbyists and political consultants connected to Trump.
On September 25, the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina ruled that the lobbying acts and activities of Republika Srpska do not comply with the country’s constitution, as their objectives contradict the constitution, court decisions, or state institutions. Ivana Korajlić, a representative of Transparency International, told Al Jazeera that lobbying activity will likely continue, but it will be presented differently.
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Reaction in the US
Reports of the visit drew criticism among Republicans. Blair heads Trump’s main fundraising organization, MAGA Inc, while LaCivita is a senior adviser to the US president. Neither commented on the trip. According to Politico, Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon demanded a detailed review of the funds received by Blair and LaCivita.
Trump initially said he did not know about Blair and LaCivita’s other contracts and intended to find out whom they were working with. Later, he told reporters that he saw no conflict of interest because they are not White House employees and can have several clients as consultants.
On September 29, Dodik met in Moscow with Vladimir Putin, the president of the Russian Federation, an aggressor state. Despite being barred from running in the elections, Dodik campaigned, and his nationalist SNSD party won more than 55% of the vote in regional elections in Republika Srpska.
