MAGA Powerbroker’s Nepo Baby Busted Sucking Up to Putin Ally
Photo Illustration by Victoria Sunday/The Daily Beast/Getty Images White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ daughter has been pictured at a Bosnian gun range beside an ally of Vladimir Putin.
Katie Wiles traveled to the semi-autonomous region of Republika Srpska, where she met with interior minister Željko Budimir, according to an image shared by conservative Albanian American activist Evi Kokalari and verified by CBS News .
The image, in which Wiles holds a rifle, appears to be a screenshot of one of Wiles’ Instagram Stories.
Wiles captioned it “mostly work + some serious fun!” and added the Republika Srpska handle.
Kokalari claimed the picture was taken in August.
In December 2025, Putin awarded Budimir the Pushkin Medal for strengthening ties between Serbs and Russians.
The two had previously met at the Kremlin that April.
Republika Srpska is led by 67-year-old Milorad Dodik, the region’s former president.
Though removed from office last year for failing to adhere to Bosnia’s 1995 peace accords, Dodik retains considerable influence.
He has formed a close connection to Vladimir Putin, and, according to foreign agent registration (FARA) filings seen by CBS, paid U.S.-based lobbying firms to rub elbows with Trump associates.
Two top outside advisers to Trump, Chris LaCivita and James Blair, visited Bosnia and Herzegovina last week to help Dodik’s party campaign, the New York Times reported .
Katie Wiles is a partner at Washington, D.C.-based political lobbying firm Continental Strategy, which earlier this year registered to lobby for the region she visited.
A spokesperson told CBS that Wiles spent two days in Republika Srpska in mid-August “with a U.S.-based company who was invited to do a feasibility study in the region.” “Wiles provides strategic communications support to this U.S. company and has done so for over two years,” the spokesperson added.
“Wiles has not spoken with any United States Government official regarding Srpska.” The company’s name is unclear.
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