Trump associates attend SNSD rally

Those identified include Alex Garcia, a partner at lobbying firm Continental Strategy, which is paid by the Government of Republika Srpska (RS), Trump associate James Blair and attorney Andrew H. Smith. Detektor could not conclusively confirm the identity of a person resembling Chris LaCivita, one of the managers of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. The New York Times previously reported that LaCivita had travelled to RS with Blair.

According to data from the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) database, Continental Strategy received nearly $240,000 from the RS budget between February and the end of August. The New York Times reported that Blair and LaCivita were each paid several hundred thousand dollars by law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, which represents the entity, for their work in RS.

Representatives of at least three U.S. firms working for the RS government attended the SNSD rally. Their presence raises questions about previous claims that the advisers worked exclusively for the entity's government and not for the political party. Detektor said it had received no response to its questions about whether the advisers had also provided services to the SNSD while being paid from the entity's budget.

BiH law prohibits political parties from receiving contributions, including free services from foreign legal entities, as well as the misuse of public funds during election campaigns. However, Ivana Korajlic, director of Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that merely attending a rally does not constitute a violation of these provisions.

"If they were paid from the budget and advised the party, that would constitute a broader abuse that should be investigated," Korajlic said, adding that such conduct could amount to a criminal offence.

The visit by Trump's associates to RS also drew criticism within the Republican Party, with some officials questioning their work for politicians in other countries while the U.S. election campaign was underway.

Trump said Blair and LaCivita did not work directly for him and that he saw no conflict of interest.

"I have no idea who else they work for, but I will ask them, and if there is a conflict, I will fire them immediately!" he wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. He later said the two were independent and that he would fire them if he believed there was a conflict of interest.

Detektor also identified two representatives of the U.S. lobbying and public relations firm DCI Group at the rally. The RS government hired the firm in February under a contract worth $750,000. According to FARA records, the firm is registered as an agent of RS.

The report also notes that in mid-September, the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina banned payments from the RS budget under a consulting services contract with Dickens & Madson Canada Inc. The ban also covers funding for other lobbying activities whose objectives are contrary to Bosnia and Herzegovina's Constitution and decisions of its institutions.