Chris LaCivita, the manager of Donald Trump's winning campaign in the US, has been actively involved in Albanian politics as the opposition's chief advisor for the May 11 elections. In an interview with the prestigious Wall Street Journal, LaCivita explains his role in Albania and emphasizes that he has no intention of registering as a foreign agent in the United States.
"I am not trying to influence American politicians. My activities are focused entirely on Albania," LaCivita told the WSJ, implying that his engagement does not conflict with the US law on the registration of foreign agents.
The Republican strategist has participated in several Democratic Party rallies in Tirana and has helped implement the opposition's media campaign by flying to Albania three times in recent months.
It remains unclear how much LaCivita was paid for this engagement. Asked by the Wall Street Journal, he declined to give a figure, but said the payment is “roughly comparable to that of a national political campaign.” According to the newspaper, experts believe the figure could exceed $1 million. LaCivita explained that the payment will be made public by the party itself after the election.
To help with the DP campaign in Albania, LaCivita has also recruited several former Donald Trump advisers, such as Paul Manafort and Tony Fabrizio. Manafort was Trump's campaign manager in 2016 and, according to LaCivita, is providing high-level strategic advice. He was convicted of tax evasion and fraud, but was pardoned by Trump. Tony Fabrizio, on the other hand, was the person responsible for the polls in the Trump campaign last year and was hired to provide data for the Albanian opposition campaign, writes WSJ.
In the interview, LaCivita said that Berisha's situation is similar to that of Donald Trump. "These are the same people who made similar maneuvers against Donald Trump, their footprints are everywhere," he told the WSJ.
The Trump-inspired slogan, “Make Albania Great Again,” has been used in some campaign materials. LaCivita acknowledged that the translation is not easy, but said the idea is “to work to make Albania great again.” (A2 Televizion)
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