Katie Wiles, the daughter of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, has been photographed holding a rifle alongside a senior official from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s pro-Russian Republika Srpska administration, drawing fresh attention to links between President Donald Trump ’s circle and the region.
The image, verified by CBS News , shows Katie Wiles standing beside Željko Budimir, Republika Srpska’s interior minister, at a shooting range. It was widely shared on social media as well.
The photograph appears to have originated from a story on her personal Instagram account, captioned “mostly work + some serious fun!”.
The firm did not identify the US company in its statement to CBS News. The photograph itself does not establish that Katie Wiles participated in political campaigning or acted on behalf of the US government. Continental Strategy partner Alejandro Garcia, a former deputy political director for Trump’s presidential campaign, was also identified in foreign-agent registration filings as a consultant for Republika Srpska. Republika Srpska is a semi-autonomous entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina led politically by Milorad Dodik, a Serbian nationalist who has cultivated ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government. House Democrats have separately accused the administration of lifting sanctions in a way that benefited Trump allies, allegations that have not been established as fact.
The news outlet reported that US foreign-agent registration filings showed Continental Strategy had registered to lobby on behalf of Republika Srpska earlier in 2026. The firm said Garcia was the only member of its team who attended the region’s October 4 election day and the only one who interacted with the US government on its behalf.
The firm said the trip was connected to a US-based company invited to conduct a feasibility study in the region. Wiles had provided strategic communications support to that company for more than two years, the spokesperson said, adding that she had not spoken with any US government official about Republika Srpska. A White House official said the sanctions were lifted to prevent instability in the Balkans.
