President Trump’s top election advisers donated their income from a Balkan consulting venture to the president’s future library after he suggested he might fire them.
On Thursday, James Blair acknowledged that he and fellow consultant Chris LaCivita donated their income from advising the government of Republika Srpska, an ethnically Serbian political republic in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Yes, it’s true we donated our full fee. I love the President and am eternally grateful for the opportunities he has provided me,” wrote Mr. Blair on social media, confirming the New York Post’s reporting. “Contributing to the preservation of his legacy of greatness is my honor!”
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Mr. LaCivita responded, “Preserving the legacy and story of [President Trump] is an honor and a no brainer!”
In early October, after reports surfaced that the two men earned hundreds of thousands of dollars advising the Russia-aligned government, Mr. Trump said he would fire them if he found a conflict of interest.
“Chris LaCivita and James Blair are outside consultants,” he wrote on social media. “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!”
Shortly afterward, the president told reporters there was no conflict of interest.
Both consultants were top-ranking aides in Mr. Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Mr. Blair served as White House deputy chief of staff until April, when he left to focus on the midterms. He’s a long-time ally of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
Mr. LaCivita is a veteran of Virginia and national politics who co-chaired the president’s 2024 campaign.
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