USAupdated 57m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 16 January 2026Trump Calls Alina Habba Mildon’s $50 Million Deal Unacceptable at Mar-a-Lago
2 Other1 Asian1 Local Western3 Other source typesPhoto: The White House / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
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Trump publicly criticized Habba Mildon's $50 million pardon deal with a Venezuelan banker family. Deal reportedly secured during Habba's time with the Justice Department.
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Trump denounces Habba deal
President Donald Trump criticized his former lawyer Alina Habba Mildon’s $50 million contract, calling it “obnoxious, outrageous and not acceptable” while speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Trump said he told Habba he did not want her taking the money, and he added, “I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous, and it's not acceptable — at all.” The contract, as described in the reporting, involved a company tied to Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini, whose family guaranteed Habba more than $50 million over four years.
“I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous, and it's not acceptable — at all.”
The reporting tied the agreement to Habba’s senior roles linked to the US Department of Justice, and it said the contract was signed with Concord Partners in late October 2025 while she served as acting US attorney for New Jersey. The reporting said Trump granted Herrera Velutini a presidential pardon on January 15, 2026, after the deal was signed and after Habba’s transition between government positions.
Habba denies wrongdoing
Alina Habba Mildon denied any wrongdoing or ethics violation, saying she never worked on, discussed or received compensation for any pardon. Habba Mildon told reporters she was never paid for a pardon, never met with anyone at the White House or Justice Department about a pardon, and never did any work to obtain clemency for anyone. The reporting said the contract structured payments at $10 million annually plus bonuses, and it said the family guaranteed her more than $50 million over four years.
The reporting said the New York Times reported that a court had disqualified Habba Mildon from acting as US attorney before she started working for the Herrera family, and it said she resigned from that role on December 8, 2025. The reporting said Habba Mildon began working with Concord Partners on January 1, 2026, while she was still a senior adviser, and it said the Department of Justice had not issued a formal comment.
What the dispute means
The New York Times reporting described Trump’s reaction as personal and immediate, saying he erupted after learning about Habba Mildon’s arrangement and told aides and allies that she should donate a portion of the money to his future presidential library or another Trump-related entity.
Trump told reporters, “I expect maybe the people,” and he said, “I don’t know if anybody wants to make it. But it’s unacceptable what she did.”
The reporting said the contract called for the Herrera family to pay Habba Mildon $10 million a year for four years, along with a variety of bonuses, and it said the total guarantee was more than $50 million.
The reporting said it remained unclear if the deal could be terminated early, even as Trump publicly criticized the arrangement.
The reporting also said Trump’s criticism followed questions about the timing of Habba Mildon’s work and Herrera’s pardon, with the reporting describing the overlap between her government roles and her employment with the Herrera-linked firm.
