Chris LaCivita and James Blair, two of President Trump’s top political advisers, have donated the six-figure consulting fees they earned from a side job in Bosnia and Herzegovina to Trump’s presidential library, according to The Post, which cited four sources confirming the transfer.
Sources said the fees were more than $100,000 apiece for LaCivita and Blair, who likely will still owe income taxes on the money despite donating it.
Two of the sources said Trump learned of the donation indirectly rather than being told by LaCivita or Blair themselves. One source described Trump as “gloating” and “very braggadocious” in private conversations this week, a sign that earlier tension over the arrangement had cooled. Another source confirmed Trump was pleased by the news.
LaCivita co-led Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and Blair served as a deputy chief of staff at the White House until May. Both now hold senior roles at the MAGA Inc super PAC.
The Bosnia Controversy
Trump had been angered earlier this month after the New York Times reported that LaCivita and Blair traveled to Bosnia to advise the ruling party in the ethnically Serbian Republika Srpska, led by Milorad Dodik, during the region’s election. Dodik is friendly with both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The arrangement raised questions about whether the two men were profiting from their proximity to Trump while their attention was diverted from embattled Republican congressional campaigns, though colleagues said both remained engaged remotely in domestic political work.
Trump responded publicly on Truth Social on Oct. 7, writing:
“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. 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
Blair, who led a Republican redistricting push this year aimed at redrawing House districts to favor the GOP, accompanied Trump to a campaign rally in South Carolina on Wednesday, a sign that relations had improved.
A White House official told The Post on Thursday that Trump did not appear upset with Blair and was unlikely to blame him if Republicans suffer losses in the Nov. 3 elections, describing recent conversations between the two as businesslike and focused on strategy.
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