Fury at Trump's midterms masterminds for cashing in on 'random a**' Putin ally's election as Republicans brace for election bloodbath

Two of the president's top midterm election advisors were reportedly paid hundreds of thousands to advise a pro-Russian group in the Balkans with a month until Election Day.Former White House deputy chief of staff James Blair and 2024 Trump campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita, leaders of Trump's political operation for the 2026 midterms, visited a remote area of the Balkans last weekend for handsome consulting fees. Visiting Republika Srpska, a small self-governing territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the pair of Trump advisors were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars each to advise the government on local voting issues, sources familiar with the matter told the New York Times. Republika Srpska has reportedly aligned itself with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and has spent heavily to ingratiate itself with President Donald Trump. Blair and LaCivita were in the country ahead of its elections on Sunday. The nationalist party won convincingly, though there were some delays and technical issues reported.Their gallivant to the Balkans came just a month before the US midterm elections, of which they have been put in charge by Trump and the GOP. Trump has said he may fire the pair if there is a conflict of interest in a fiery social media post published after the Times story. 'Chris LaCivita and James Blair are outside consultants,' Trump wrote in response to the report. 'They do not work for me, other than as outside consultants.' President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita reportedly flew to Bosnia and Herzegovina over the weekend to advise the government on its Sunday election Former White House deputy chief of staff James Blair also flew to the Balkans to advise the self-governing territory of Republika Srpska'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!'The report comes as Republicans face increasingly dismal odds of retaining control in Washington, a fact not lost on some Republican insiders. 'We are out here fighting for our lives and these dudes are in some random a** country made up of too many consonants no one has ever heard of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars while telling all of us to chill out because they've got it,' one GOP operative told Politico. 'It's legitimately shocking.''I think it may piss DJT off,' a source close to the White House told the outlet. Blair, LaCivita, the Republika Srpska and the White House were contacted for comment.Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesman for MAGA Inc, told the Daily Mail: 'James and Chris hosted a team call with race captains on Saturday morning to go over recent survey data.'Milorad Dodik, a Bosnian Serb nationalist politician banned from holding office, celebrated his party's recent election victory by thanking Putin and Trump, according to local media reports. Dodik met Putin in Moscow on September 29, five days before the election. He came home calling Republika Srpska a strategic partner of Russia and proposed annual joint sessions of the two governments. Milorad Dodik, a Bosnian Serb nationalist politician banned from holding office, celebrated his party's recent election victory by thanking Putin and Trump, according to local media reportsThe pair's trip to the Balkans comes as Trump has zig-zagged across the nation hosting campaign rallies for endangered Republican candidates.Blair, who served as political director of Trump's winning 2024 campaign, left the White House in the spring to run MAGA Inc, Trump's political operation. Caroline Wren, a lobbyist for the Republic of Srpska who was on the ground for this weekend's election, told the Daily Mail that the Trump administration has promoted Christians around the world, including the Republic.'The Trump Administration has made a huge priority of protecting and promoting Christians around the world and there is no better place to do that than the Republic of Srpska whose strong Christian faith and support of President Trump has made them a target in the region by the UN and EU,' she said. The super PAC is expected to spend tens of millions to support Republicans across the country, and it has already transferred funds to line candidates' coffers. LaCivita serves as a senior advisor to MAGA Inc, and has been involved in Republican campaigns this cycle. Prediction market Kalshi data puts the Republicans' chances of maintaining control of the House of Representatives at 10 percent. In the Senate, Republicans have a 36 percent chance of holding onto power. 'If this doesn't show how checked out Republicans are, not sure what does,' another GOP operative told Politico.