Top Trump Advisers Donate Balkans Consulting Fees to Trump Presidential Library After Firing Threat
WASHINGTON — Top Trump political advisers James Blair and Chris LaCivita have donated money they made earlier this month consulting in the Balkans on behalf of a pro-Russian government to President Donald Trump's presidential library, CNN and the New York Post reported.
"Yes, it's true we donated our full fee. I love the President and am eternally grateful for the opportunities he has provided me. Contributing to the preservation of his legacy of greatness is my honor!" Blair posted on X. LaCivita also confirmed the donation in a social media post.
Trump on Friday called the donation to his presidential library "very nice," telling reporters on the South Lawn that he's no longer looking into whether their travel posed a conflict of interest. "No, no, they took the money and they gave it to essentially a charity," Trump said. "I just heard that. I think it was a very nice thing to do."
Earlier this month, Trump had said he would fire Blair and LaCivita as political advisers if their outside work turned out to present a conflict of interest.
The New York Times first reported the pair's Balkans trip. Blair and LaCivita "were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars each through a Washington-based law firm that was retained by Republika Srpska's government to provide counsel on voting issues," the Times reported. The New York Post, which first reported the donations, said the fees were more than $100,000 apiece. Republika Srpska, the Serb entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina, is led by Milorad Dodik, who is friendly toward both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
LaCivita co-led Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, and Blair served as a deputy chief of staff at the White House until his departure in May.
(GSM, based on CNN and the New York Post)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 特朗普 2024 年竞选团队主要成员（资料图）。照片：DannyRogers800，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Main officials of Donald Trump's 2024 campaign staff (file photo). Photo: DannyRogers800, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
