Bosnian Croat leader hires Trump-linked lobbyists as Republika Srpska spends millions in Washington

Justice Department filings show Bosnian Croat politician Dragan Čović has retained Mercury Public Affairs, a firm linked to President Donald Trump, to advocate for his party in the United States. This follows a pattern of heavy lobbying by Republika Srpska, which has entered contracts totaling at least $9 million since Trump’s inauguration, seeking alignment with the U.S. administration. Jim O’Brien, a former presidential envoy for the Balkans, told one outlet that Čović may feel pressured by Milorad Dodik’s expanding Washington contacts and might be preparing to argue for a third, Croat-majority entity—a major revision to the Dayton Peace Agreement.

The right-leaning Heritage Foundation has publicly supported the proposal, despite concerns it could inflame ethnic divisions among Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks. Only one Bosniak official, Elmedin Konaković of the foreign ministry, has hired U.S. lobbyists, though it is unclear whether he has been paid. Republika Srpska’s lobbying budget represents a notable share of its $4.37 billion annual budget, prompting questions about how a relatively poor region can afford such expenditures. Čović, Republika Srpska and the Heritage Foundation declined to comment.