Tillis criticizes Trump advisers for work with Russia-aligned Bosnia group

Retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Wednesday condemned a report that two consultants to President Trump received a large profit from their work advising a pro-Russian government in the Balkans during the U.S. midterm elections cycle.

The senator, who serves as co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, called Republika Srpska a “destabilizing force” during an interview with CNN’s Kasie Hunt.

“These guys are not hurting for money. They don’t need to be doing that,” Tillis said. “They shouldn’t be doing it, and if the reports are true, they should get out of that relationship very, very quickly.”

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The New York Times reported Tuesday that Chris LaCivita and James Blair traveled to Republica Srpska , a small self-governing territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ahead of the country’s elections Sunday.

The pair, who are leading Trump’s midterm advertising campaign, were reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars each through a Washington-based firm that the country’s government hired to advise on voting issues.

Two people who spoke with the Times noted this work was for the government and not the nationalist party that controls it, but the two are heavily intertwined. Republika Srpska’s dominant party has aligned the country with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Blair previously served as the White House deputy chief of staff before leaving the role in April to run MAGA Inc., the president’s super PAC , during the midterm elections. LaCivita served as a co-manager on Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and is currently a senior adviser to MAGA Inc.

The president appeared to distance himself from the pair Wednesday, calling them “outside consultants,” and said he would terminate them if their work conflicted with the White House.

While Tillis said he would “leave” the decision of whether or not to fire Blair and LaCivita, he urged the advisers to cut ties with the Balkan government.

“This is about knowing your customer, and this customer is bad news for that region and certainly for our partners in the region,” Tillis said, adding, “It’s a horrible look.”