Donald Trump distanced himself from two top advisers on Wednesday, claiming he did not have “any idea who else they work for”, after it was reported they spent the weekend assisting a pro-Russia government in the Balkans.

On Truth Social, Trump wrote that Chris LaCivita, the co-manager of his 2024 presidential campaign, and James Blair, a campaign adviser and White House deputy chief of staff on leave of absence, “are outside consultants” and “do not work for me other than as outside consultants”.

“They are allowed to do work for others, just like all consultants in Washington, D.C.,” Trump wrote. “I do not have any idea who else they work for but will, on reflection, ask them and, if there’s a conflict, I will terminate them, immediately!”

The president’s comments came after the New York Times reported that LaCivita and Blair traveled to Republika Srpska, an autonomous entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to assist the government ahead of elections over the weekend. Sources told the newspaper that each adviser was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars.

LaCivita and Blair are meanwhile working with Maga Inc, the Trump-backed SuperPac assisting Republican candidates in November’s US midterm elections.

Both men have long histories with Trump, and the US president has praised them separately on social media.

LaCivita joined Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign in 2022, after leading a pro-Trump Super Pac called Preserve America. In 2024, Trump wrote on Truth Social that LaCivita was “THE BEST” co-campaign manager alongside Susie Wiles, who now serves as White House chief of staff.

Blair worked for Trump’s 2020 campaign in Florida and was the political director of Trump’s 2024 campaign. He joined the president at the White House as deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs.

In April, Trump called Blair “one of the brightest political minds” while announcing that Blair would leave his White House position, briefly, to join Maga Inc and assist Republicans in the midterms. Trump said Blair would return to the White House after the midterms.

Trump’s statement distancing himself from the two advisers comes as Maga Inc prepares to ramp up efforts to assist Republican candidates in next month’s elections.

Public polls indicate Democrats are leading Republicans in several key competitive races. That is largely attributed to widespread disapproval over Trump’s handling of the economy and cost of living.

A spokesperson for Maga Inc told the New York Times that Blair and LaCivita remained engaged with midterm efforts while traveling, saying the two “hosted a team call with race captains on Saturday morning to go over recent survey data”.

The Guardian has contacted Maga Inc for comment.

Despite polling showing waning voter enthusiasm for Republicans, the party has a cash advantage over Democrats.

At the end of August, Maga Inc had more than $415m cash on hand. Several Super Pacs tied to Maga Inc have begun launching multimillion-dollar ad blitzes.