Chris LaCivita and James Blair, two of President Trump’s top election advisers, have donated the full consulting fees they earned from a side job advising a political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina to Trump’s presidential library, according to multiple sources.
The donation was confirmed by four sources, two of whom said Trump learned of the gift indirectly rather than from LaCivita or Blair themselves. Sources said Trump was “gloating” and “very braggadocious” in private conversations this week upon hearing the news, suggesting his earlier irritation with the pair had faded. Another source separately confirmed Trump was pleased by the development.
LaCivita, who co-led Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and Blair, who served as a deputy chief of staff at the White House until May, each earned more than $100,000 from the arrangement, according to sources. They will likely still owe income taxes on that money despite donating it.
Both men hold senior roles at the MAGA Inc super PAC. The controversy began after the New York Times reported that LaCivita and Blair had traveled to advise the ruling political party in Republika Srpska, the ethnically Serbian region of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ahead of an election the party won. That party is led by Milorad Dodik, a figure friendly to both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The outside work raised questions about whether the two advisers were profiting from their proximity to Trump while their attention was diverted from struggling Republican congressional campaigns heading into the midterms, though colleagues said both men stayed engaged remotely in the domestic political effort.
Trump’s Initial Reaction
Trump responded publicly on Truth Social on Oct. 7, distancing himself from the arrangement while defending the pair’s right to take outside clients.
“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. “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!”
Signs of a thaw emerged this week. Blair, who also led a Republican redistricting push to redraw House districts in the GOP’s favor, accompanied Trump to a campaign rally in South Carolina on Wednesday.
A White House official told the New York Post on Thursday that Trump did not appear upset with Blair and was unlikely to blame him if Republicans suffer heavy losses in the Nov. 3 elections, describing recent conversations between them as businesslike and tactical.
