Trump Operatives Donate Fees from Advising Pro-Russian Balkan Government to His Library Fund

According to The New York Times, two of President Trump's top political operatives made donations using fees they earned while advising a pro-Russian Balkan government to his presidential library fund. James Blair and Chris LaCivita confirmed the donations via social media posts on Thursday. This disclosure occurred more than two weeks after their work for Republika Srpska had drawn criticism from Mr. Trump.

Mr. Blair posted that contributing to the preservation of his legacy of greatness was an honor, stating, "I love the President and am eternally grateful for the opportunities he has provided me." Mr. LaCivita posted separately that the donation was "a no brainer!"

On Friday, Mr. Trump told reporters that he did not request the men to make the contributions, remarking, "They took the money and they gave it to essentially a charity," and adding, "I think it was a very nice thing to do." He also mentioned that he was not investigating whether the engagement, which involved travel to Srpska this month, constituted a conflict of interest or was appropriate.

Both Mr. Blair and Mr. LaCivita declined to comment when asked about the donations, which were reported by The New York Post on Thursday. The committee collecting funds for the library, which is seeking $1 billion from Mr. Trump and his supporters, did not respond to a request for comment.

The White House directed inquiries about the donations to Mr. Trump's statements made to reporters on Friday.

Mr. Blair, who serves as a former White House and Trump campaign official and runs a Trump-backed super PAC aiming to boost Republicans in the midterms, has recently been seen traveling with the president to rallies for the party's candidates. Furthermore, a source familiar with the matter indicated that the two had been discussing campaign strategy in recent days.

Their professional relationship appeared to be under strain after The New York Times reported earlier this month that Mr. Blair and Mr. LaCivita had traveled to Srpska to advise the government around local elections. For this engagement, they were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars each by the Washington law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, which has represented Srpska.

In response to the Times' article, the president posted on social media, stating, "If there’s a conflict, I will terminate them, immediately!"

Republika Srpska is governed by a party that is pro-Russian, and its leader had been subject to sanctions by the United States government for years, including during the first Trump administration, for actions that undermined the Dayton Accords peace agreement. Following an influence campaign where the Srpska government paid several allies of Mr. Trump, his administration lifted sanctions late last year.