The former governor of the United States (U.S.) state of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, stated yesterday in Banja Luka that the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Christian Schmidt, whom he called an unelected bureaucrat, treats Republika Srpska (RS) as his colony, adding that his task is to inform the U.S. President Donald Trump about the “injustice towards the Serbian people.”
“Schmidt treats RS as his colony, he gave himself certain powers, and now saying anything against him is a criminal offense. It is important that people know this is happening. Now, according to him, it seems that even marking the Day of RS is a criminal offense,” Blagojevich said at a press conference in Banja Luka after a meeting with RS President Milorad Dodik.
He added that he believes that as an American of Serbian origin, he will be able to talk with the Trump administration about the situation in RS, stating that “democratic values and joint commitment have been undermined in the area of RS since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement.”
He also said that “his task is to inform U.S. citizens about the evil that has been done to the Serbian people and their elected president,” adding that the Serbian people “are very fortunate to have a strong personality like Milorad Dodik as their president.”
He assessed that Dodik, “despite all the difficulties, persecutions and pressures he is exposed to, is strongly fighting and advocating for RS and the Serbian people, and that on this path he has shown he is capable of standing up to powerful forces.”
“Donald Trump is the same. He, like President Dodik, loves his people. That is why I believe that the conditions have been created to establish good relations between Milorad Dodik and Donald Trump. They share the same values, and President Trump appreciates people who fight for their people,” said Blagojevich.
U.S. media reported at the beginning of April this year that less than two months after U.S. President Donald Trump pardoned Rod Blagojevich, the former Democratic governor of Illinois was hired to lobby on behalf of RS.
His mission as a foreign agent (a term used in the U.S. for foreign lobbyists), according to the lobbying contract that was published at the time, is to try to convince U.S. officials to abandon sanctions against RS officials.
The contract stipulates that Blagojevich will advocate on behalf of RS for the closure of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) in BiH, Federalna writes.
