Katie Wiles, the daughter of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, was pictured at a shooting range where she was holding a rifle while standing alongside Željko Budimir, the interior minister of Republika Srpska, CBS News confirmed on Thursday. Republika Srpska is a Serb-majority, self-governing region in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The administration has maintained close political ties with Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Katie Wiles visited the area in mid-August on business for her political lobbying firm Continental Strategy, the company confirmed to CBS News. The photo has surfaced amid scrutiny of ties between figures in President Donald Trump's orbit and the Bosnian Serb region, which is led by pro-Russia politician Milorad Dodik. "Katie Wiles visited the country in mid-August for two days with a U.S.-based company who was invited to do a feasibility study in the region," the Continental Strategy spokesperson told CBS News.
"Wiles provides strategic communications support to this U.S. company and has done so for over two years. Wiles has not spoken with any United States government official regarding Srpska." The development—less than three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections with control of the House and Senate at stake—comes as Trump is reportedly considering replacing Susie Wiles as chief of staff, although he has denied it. The picture of Katie Wiles with Budimir has prompted questions about who she is and what she was doing in Republika Srpska.
Newsweek reached out to the White House by email and Continental Strategy by phone for comment on Thursday. The picture appeared to be posted on Katie Wiles' Instagram account @katie.wiles in her stories. A screenshot of the photo shared by CBS News showed that Wiles captioned it "Mostly work + some serious fun!" and tagged Republika Srpska.
The account Wiles tagged shows dozens of pictures of women with little context. In the picture on Wiles' account, she is holding a rifle and standing next to a man CBS News identified as Budimir, who has met with Putin as part of official delegations and received a Russian state honor from the Russian president in 2025. He has also made public statements supporting stronger Russia-Serbia ties.
The image went viral after it was shared by conservative Albanian American activist Evi Kokalari. In the post, Kokalari urged Trump not to consult with Susie Wiles on matters involving Bosnia and Herzegovina, considering her daughter's involvement there. "@POTUS should not consult with @SusieWiles47 on matters concerning Chris LaCivita, James Blair (both Susie Wiles’ guys) and Bosnia and Herzegovina, since Susie’s daughter, @KatieWiles0303, is also involved in these insane lobbying activities with pro Russian Dodik.
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