The Republican Party has reacted after media publications about the expenses made in favor of the American strategist of the "Great Albania" coalition, Chris LaCivita. In its reaction to the media, the PR does not deny that it paid for the hotel and massages to LaCivita, but criticizes the media that, according to it, are presenting it as if a crime had been committed. The announcement clarifies that the payments were not made by Fatmir Mediu personally, but by the Republican Party.
"The government's corruption media masseurs reported today that Fatmir Mediu paid for a massage at the hotel where the strategist of the Trump campaign and our 'Great Albania' coalition, Chris LaCivita, stayed, as if getting a massage worth 5900 lek was a crime, a shame or a 'foreign show'. This is done for political manipulative purposes by obedient servants of power.
We clarify to the public opinion that the Republican Party, in accordance with its obligations and the agreement of the opposition coalition, has paid according to the law the accommodation expenses at the 'Xheko Imperial' hotel in Tirana for the American campaign team: Mr. Chris LaCivita, Paul Manafort and Lord Stewart Jackson from the British Parliament, for three nights of stay, with the value of 27,300 lek per night. These expenses were paid by the Republican Party and have been declared according to the law", the PR statement states.
In fact, the reaction of the party led by Fatmir Mediu is more ridiculous than the payments for Chris LaCivita's massages themselves. First, if Mediu and the opposition had paid more attention to the campaign on the ground than to media appearances with imported strategists, they probably would not have experienced such a catastrophic loss.
The second, equally ridiculous, is when PR tries to clarify that the payments were made by the party and not Mediu itself, an entity that for years has not been known whether it has an electorate, headquarters, or simply a permanent chairman.
And third, if everything was done "in accordance with the law", why didn't PR and its allies publish it earlier for transparency, but journalists had to discover it? Or maybe they were ashamed to show the massage receipts of some "strategists" who enjoyed the luxury of Tirana, while the opposition ended up more ridiculous than ever.
