A report by the American magazine Mother Jones has raised questions about how Sali Berisha secured participation in a Republican event in Dallas and gained access for meetings and photos with senior figures from Donald Trump’s camp. The issue is made even more sensitive by the fact that in 2021 Berisha was designated by the U.S. State Department as involved in “significant corruption,” while his entry into the United States had been blocked until a later waiver was granted.
Participation in Dallas amid uncertainty over the invitation and access
According to the article, Berisha took part in a Republican midterm elections event held last month in Dallas, where he posted photos with well-known names from the administration and Republican politics, including Todd Blanche, Stanley Woodward, Mehmet Oz, Joe Gruters, James Lankford, Mike Rogers and Ben Shapiro.
Mother Jones emphasizes that it remains unclear what specific role Berisha had at the event and how his presence was arranged. Neither the Department of Justice, nor the Republican National Committee, nor organizers linked to the event provided clarification in response to the questions raised about his participation.
From persona non grata to a visa waiver
At the center of the report is Berisha’s status in relation to the United States. In 2021, the State Department declared him persona non grata because of allegations of involvement in significant corruption. Berisha denies the allegations.
According to Mother Jones, the Trump administration changed course several months ago and granted Berisha a waiver from the visa restriction, clearing the way for travel to the United States. However, the State Department has not confirmed that the 2021 designation has been lifted, and the official notice of that measure remains public.
Lobbying, contracts and the money behind the political operation
The report also examines the network of consultants and contracts linked to the Democratic Party. Before the 2025 parliamentary elections, Berisha’s party hired Chris LaCivita, Tony Fabrizio and Paul Manafort as electoral advisers. According to the reported disclosures, LaCivita’s company received more than $1.6 million for this work.
Mother Jones also writes that the Democratic Party engaged Continental Strategy LLP to lobby for the removal of the State Department’s designation against Berisha. That contract, according to the report, is worth $750,000, and the payments were made through an agreement involving the organization “Make Albania Great Again Foundation,” a structure that has raised questions about the origin of the funds.
Berisha uses the visit as political capital
Berisha himself presented the meetings in Dallas as politically significant and claimed that he had informed U.S. officials about what he calls the “narco-state” in Albania. He publicly accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of links to drug trafficking, allegations that Rama has denied.
On the other hand, the report notes that the photos with senior Republican officials give Berisha an image of closeness to the Trump administration at a time when he continues to face criminal charges in Albania and other international restrictions, including a travel ban in the United Kingdom.
Beyond the usual political propaganda, the report raises a fundamental question: who actually enabled Berisha’s entry and access to such an expensive and politically controlled event? So far, official answers are lacking.
In the absence of transparency from the parties involved, the Dallas visit remains not simply an episode of political photographs, but a matter of public interest because of its links to lobbying, Berisha’s status in the United States, and the source of the funding that made this operation possible.