The New York Times writes that Donald Trump campaign advisors were paid over $1.6 million by the Democratic Party of Albania for the May election campaign, while despite their help, Sali Berisha's opposition suffered a heavy defeat against Edi Rama's socialists.
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Advisors who worked on Donald J. Trump's presidential campaigns were paid more than $1.6 million to advise the Democratic Party of Albania on its strategy for the May parliamentary elections, according to a financial report filed Monday with the Central Election Commission.
In the report, the Democratic Party declares payments worth over $1.62 million to the consulting firm of Chris LaCivita, who was one of Trump's 2024 campaign managers, as well as about $65,000 for polling services from the firm of Tony Fabrizio, a senior adviser to American Republican campaigns.
Despite the help of LaCivita and Paul Manafort – Trump’s former campaign chairman in 2016 – the Democratic Party suffered a crushing defeat in the May elections, despite efforts to portray its leader, former President Sali Berisha, as a “Trump-style” figure.
The payments, denominated in Albanian currency, were made over a period of less than four months – from mid-February to the end of May. LaCivita worked in Albania as part of a team with Fabrizio and Manafort, most likely through a subcontracting agreement, a common practice for electoral consultants.
After Trump's victory in the US, these three advisors have jointly offered their services to campaigns abroad, including Albania.
LaCivita, who traveled to Tirana several times during the campaign to support Berisha, declined to comment. Manafort and Fabrizio also did not respond to media requests.
According to the report, LaCivita and Manafort have portrayed Berisha as the victim of a "witch hunt" orchestrated by domestic opponents and American Democrats, including philanthropist George Soros and the administration of former President Joe Biden.
Berisha faces corruption charges in Albania in connection with a property affair, while in 2021 he was sanctioned by the Biden administration for "significant corruption," according to a statement by former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
After the defeat to Prime Minister Edi Rama's Socialist Party, LaCivita supported Berisha's claims that the elections were rigged — claims that were not confirmed after the recount requested by the opposition.
