Thaci hires lobbyist in bid to get meeting with Trump

A top fundraiser for US President Donald Trump in April "personally lobbied Trump on behalf of the government of Kosovo."

Kosovo-based website KoSSev writes this, citing a report published by Politico.

The lobbyist in question is Brian Ballard, the article said.

Ballard "briefly talked with Trump about relations with Kosovo" and "mentioned a request Kosovo's ambassador had made" for Trump to meet with Hashim Thaci, the report said, citing a US Justice Department filing.

"This was a very brief part of a short conversation, but disclosure requirements require us to report this brief encounter," Ballard said in an interview.

The meeting took place on April 20 in Mar-a-Lago, with a top Trump aid, Johnny DeStefano, and US Vice President Mike Pence's national security adviser Keith Kellogg.

"Lobbyists who represent foreign governments or political parties are required by law to disclose whom they're lobbying, unlike those who represent domestic interests," Politico writes, and adds that Ballard "opened a Washington office after Trump's election" and has "built a reputation as one of only a handful of lobbyists with a personal relationship with the president."

According to the report, Ballard's other clients include the governments of Azerbaijan, the Dominican Republic, Qatar, and Turkey.

Meanwhile, RTS is quoting Pristina-based daily Zeri as reporting on Friday that Thaci paid Ballard's company more than half a million dollars in order to get a meeting with Trump.

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