TIRANA, Albania (AP) 鈥� Some of the architects of presidential campaigns have reunited in Albania as they try to help a Trumpian candidate prevail in this weekend's elections.
They include Chris LaCivita, who served as co-campaign manager of Trump鈥檚 successful 2024 effort, Trump鈥檚 longtime pollster Tony Fabrizio, and Paul Manafort, who served as chairman of Trump鈥檚 2016 campaign before he was convicted in 2018 of crimes that included secretly lobbying for Ukraine鈥檚 former pro-Russian president.
The trio is working for former prime minister and president Sali Berisha, the head of Albania鈥檚 opposition Democratic Party, who is challenging Prime Minister Edi Rama to return the Democrats to power, even as he awaits trial on corruption charges.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the only Democrat Party I would ever consider working for,鈥� quipped LaCivita as he headed to the country for his third trip before Sunday's election.
Berisha, who is hoping the new administration will reverse sanctions barring him from entering the U.S., has also signed a two-year, $6 million contract with Continental Strategy, a Republican consulting and lobbying firm. Its staff includes Katie Wiles, the daughter of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who along with LaCivita, led Trump鈥檚 campaign. Katie Wiles is not involved with the client.
Foreign consulting has long been a popular way for U.S. strategists to rake in cash between election cycles. But Berisha鈥檚 decision to lean on Trump hands 鈥� and to highlight their involvement 鈥� makes clear how valuable they can be to candidates trying to harness populist sentiment and replicate Trump鈥檚 rise. In Albania, like many other countries, being seen as having close ties to the U.S. and its leaders is also considered a major asset.
Rama has his own connections with Trump allies. In December, Rama鈥檚 Cabinet approved entering into negotiations with Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC, owned by Trump鈥檚 son-in-law Jared Kushner, for development of a $1.6 billion luxury resort on the small island of Sazan.
The Strategic Investment Committee awarded Kushner's company the status of strategic investor for 10 years.
There's more at stake than just an electoral victory
Throughout the campaign, Berisha has cast himself as a Trump-like figure and the victim of a politically motivated scheme that he blames in part on the U.S. billionaire George Soros, a booster of liberal causes around the world and longtime foil of conservatives.
He launched his campaign with a promise to 鈥淢ake Albania Great Again,鈥� but later had to change the slogan amid concerns that it could be misinterpreted as a reference to 鈥済reater Albania鈥� and spark confrontation in the western Balkans over have about Albanian expansionism.
The campaign now vows to make Albania 鈥済randiose": 鈥渕adheshtore鈥� instead of 鈥渆 madhe."
Like Trump, Berisha also has his own signature campaign hat 鈥� a blue one that features the No. 1, the Democrats' ranking on the ballot.
While recent elections in Canada and Australia have demonstrated the power of backlash against candidates deemed too aligned with Trump, in other countries those ties have been a major boon. In Argentina, Javier Milei swept to power with a 鈥淢ake Argentina Great Again鈥� slogan and Trumpian flair.
And in El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele has become one of Trump's strongest allies, agreeing to detain U.S. deportees in his country's notorious terrorism megaprison.
Will new consultants deliver a long-sought victory?
Berisha's party presents its hiring of Trump campaign staffers as a major coup. The Americans, they say, have been working on all aspects of the campaign, from strategy to messaging and public communication.
LaCivita 鈥渕anaged one of the most spectacular campaigns in the political history, making president a politician who had all against him, media companies, exit poll companies, NGOs, etc, to a certain extent the same situation with the opposition and its leader here in Albania," the party said in a written response to questions from The Associated Press.
Albania鈥檚 Democratic Party and U.S. Republicans are 鈥渘atural allies,鈥� they added, since both are 鈥渁gainst the woke culture and support family and free market too.鈥�
LaCivita has been featured in Democratic social media posts and appeared of , including a rally where he took the stage to the Village People's 鈥淵MCA,鈥� Trump's signature walk-off song.
鈥淲ho is ready to make Albania great again?鈥� he boomed as he opened his speech 鈥� notwithstanding the concerns about referencing 鈥済reater Albania.鈥� (Other times, he goes with 鈥淢ake Albania magnificent.")
Rama, the Socialist Party leader, derisively calls Berisha a 鈥渟wamp owl鈥� and frequently criticizes the Americans' involvement, with LaCivita even featured in a negative ad.
The Democrats have not disclosed how much LaCivita is paid, but said 鈥渉is payment was done in line with the law and the election rules, here in Albania and in America鈥� and that the contract would eventually be made public.
LaCivita has stressed he is being paid solely to advise the party and that he is not lobbying officials in the U.S.
Manafort, they said, is part of LaCivita鈥檚 team as 鈥渁 friend and collaborator, and he has been in Tirana at that capacity."
Manafort was charged in 2017 by special counsel Robert Mueller鈥檚 team with, among other things, concealing from the U.S. government lucrative political lobbying work he鈥檇 performed on behalf of a pro-Russia party in Ukraine. He was convicted of multiple financial crimes and sentenced to prison but ultimately pardoned by Trump.
Hiring a lobbying company, aimed at lifting Berisha鈥檚 鈥榥on grata鈥� designation
In addition to the campaign help, in late April the Democrats signed a $250,000-a-month lobbying contract with U.S.-based Continental Strategy to help them establish relationships in the executive and legislative branches, and to promote democracy, anti-corruption initiatives and governmental reforms, according to with the Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The firm is led by Carlos Trujillo, a longtime Trump ally who served as U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States during Trump's first term and whom Albania's Democratic Party has touted as 鈥淧resident Trump鈥檚 lawyer and as a staunch anti-communist in his stand!鈥� Trujillo is working on the contract with the firm's managing partner, Alberto Martinez, who served as now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio's Senate chief of staff.
The arrangement has raised eyebrows in Albania and triggered an investigation by Albania鈥檚 SPAK, the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime.
The firm is being paid by the 鈥淢ake Albania Great Again Foundation," a newly created nonprofit founded by Nuredin Seci, an Albanian American contractor from New Jersey, with what is supposed to be money collected from the Albanian-American community.
Seci did not respond to questions about the foundation and where the funding had come from sent to his Facebook account. Numbers and an email address associated with Seci appear to have been disconnected.
Melissa Stone, a spokesperson for Continental, said, 鈥淥ur work is being funded by an American-Albanian businessman and active leader in the Albanian-America diaspora who loves America and loves Albania.鈥�
That includes trying to lift the sanctions on Berisha, who was barred from campaigning in the U.S., where many Albanians ex-pats live.
鈥淎s part of our work to improve bilateral relations between Albania and the United States, we are actively petitioning the Trump Administration to launch a full-scale review and reversal of the Biden-era weaponization of Section 7031(c) against conservative, pro-American leaders, including President Sali Berisha,鈥� she said in a statement.
In May 2021, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken sanctioned Berisha for alleged 鈥渟ignificant corruption鈥� and barred him and his wife and children from entering the U.S.
Britain did the same a year later.
Blinken said that during Berisha鈥檚 2005-2013 tenure as prime minister, the politician 鈥渨as involved in corrupt acts, such as misappropriation of public funds and interfering with public processes, including using his power for his own benefit and to enrich his political allies and his family members," which Berisha denies.
Last year, Berisha was for an alleged scheme in which he helped his son-in-law privatize public land to build apartment buildings in the capital, Tirana. The trial has yet to start.
Berisha in January that he considered Trump鈥檚 election 鈥渁 miracle for humanity鈥� and said that he would ask the new administration to review his designation as a 鈥減ersona non grata" and demand that it be changed.
LaCivita 鈥渁 true friend of the United States." And he has drawn parallels between Trump and Berisha, casting both as having been 鈥渦nfairly prosecuted and persecuted by a government that has no regard for Democracy.鈥�
LaCivita has acknowledged Berisha's decision to promote his involvement is different from other foreign clients who prefer more discretion.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 one place where you know, America meddling in their elections is encouraged, right? Everywhere else, not so much,鈥� LaCivita said in a conversation with journalists posing as potential clients that was published by .
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Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.
Llazar Semini And Jill Colvin, The Associated Press
