Trump floats firing top political advisers after report they helped a pro-Russian government

President Donald Trump on Wednesday distanced himself from two of his top political advisers — less than 30 days before the midterm elections — writing that if their outside work presents a conflict, “I will terminate them, immediately!”

Trump’s warning came after The New York Times published a report detailing how James Blair, one of the president’s former deputy chiefs of staff who now leads his outside political operation, and Chris LaCivita, Trump’s 2024 co-campaign manager, traveled to the Balkans last week for paid work on behalf of a pro-Russian government.

Trump, who has been actively campaigning for Republicans ahead of November’s midterms, suggested he had nothing to do with his advisers’ lucrative work outside the United States.

“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 posted on Truth Social on Wednesday.

According to the Times, Blair and LaCivita traveled to Republika Srpska, a territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ahead of elections there on Sunday. The trip came as polls show Republicans are facing severe electoral challenges in the United States.

“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!” Trump wrote.

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.

They said the work was for the government and not the nationalist party that controls it, though they are essentially one and the same.

Blair currently leads Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., and has been tasked with heading up the president’s midterm elections strategy. LaCivita is a senior adviser at MAGA Inc.

The group has been spending tens of millions of dollars trying to bolster Republican candidates ahead of the midterms, including some in reliably red territory who now appear vulnerable.

距离中期选举不到 30 天，唐纳德·特朗普总统周三与他的两位高级政治顾问划清界限，并写道，如果他们的外部工作构成利益冲突，“我将立即解雇他们！”

在《纽约时报》发表报道详细描述了特朗普的前副幕僚长之一、现任总统外部政治运作负责人詹姆斯·布莱尔和特朗普 2024 年竞选联合经理克里斯·拉西维塔上周前往巴尔干半岛，为亲俄政府从事有偿工作之后，特朗普发出了警告。

在11月中期选举前积极为共和党人助选的特朗普暗示，他与顾问们在美国境外的高额收入工作没有任何关系。

“克里斯·拉西维塔和詹姆斯·布莱尔是外部顾问。他们不为我工作，只是担任外部顾问。他们很可能有很多客户，但要了解这一点，你们得去问他们，”特朗普周三在Truth Social上发帖说。

据《泰晤士报》报道，布莱尔和拉西维塔在周日波黑塞族共和国举行选举前夕前往该地区。此次访问正值民调显示共和党在美国面临严峻的选举挑战之际。

“他们可以像华盛顿特区的所有顾问一样为其他人工作，我不知道他们还为谁工作，但经过思考后，我会询问他们，如果存在利益冲突，我会立即解雇他们！”特朗普写道。

《泰晤士报》报道称，布莱尔和拉西维塔“通过一家位于华盛顿的律师事务所，每人获得了数十万美元的报酬。这家律师事务所受塞族共和国政府委托，就投票问题提供咨询。”

他们说这项工作是为政府做的，而不是为控制政府的民族主义政党做的，尽管两者本质上是一体的。

布莱尔目前领导着特朗普的超级政治行动委员会“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA Inc.），并负责制定总统的中期选举策略。拉西维塔是MAGA Inc.的高级顾问。

该组织已花费数千万美元试图在中期选举前支持共和党候选人，其中包括一些来自传统共和党选区的候选人，而这些候选人现在似乎面临风险。