President Trump turned on his former lawyer Alina Habba Mildon, calling her reported $50 million deal with the family of a banker he later pardoned “totally obnoxious and outrageous.”
Story Highlights
- Speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, October 31, Trump said the deal was “not acceptable at all” and that he told Habba Mildon he did not want her paid.
- The family of Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini guaranteed her more than $50 million over four years, according to reports.
- Trump pardoned Herrera Velutini weeks after she started the job.
- Habba Mildon denies any role in the pardon, and the Justice Department and a White House official say she had none.
What Trump Said At Mar-a-Lago
Trump spoke to reporters at a Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. He was asked about the money his former personal lawyer had agreed to take from the Herrera family. “Totally obnoxious and outrageous, and it’s not acceptable,” he said. “Not acceptable at all.” He said he had told her he did not want her to be paid, and he called the whole episode “terrible.” It was a sharp break with a lawyer who once defended him in court.
Habba Mildon was one of Trump’s personal lawyers before he named her acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, the top federal prosecutor in that state. A court later ruled she could not keep serving in that job. She resigned on December 8, 2025, and was made a senior adviser to the attorney general the same day. She has since married and goes by Alina Habba Mildon.
The $50 Million Deal And The Pardon
Herrera Velutini is a Venezuelan billionaire banker. In August 2022 he was charged with felony bribery in a scheme to bribe Puerto Rico’s then-governor, Wanda Vázquez, so she would fire a regulator who was looking into his bank. He pleaded not guilty. In August 2025, he pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor campaign finance charge, a much smaller crime tied to how political donations are made.
Weeks before he was pardoned, his family hired Habba Mildon, according to reports. In late October 2025, a company called Concord Partners was registered in Florida, set up by Herrera Velutini’s daughter, Isabela. Days later, while still serving as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor, Habba Mildon finalized a deal to be its general counsel, which is the company’s top lawyer. The terms were $10 million a year for four years plus bonuses, guaranteeing her more than $50 million, according to reports. She started on January 1, 2026. Trump pardoned Herrera Velutini on January 15, according to the Justice Department’s website.
What Habba Mildon And Officials Say
Habba Mildon denies that the job had anything to do with the pardon. “Any insinuation that my employment — all of which has been vetted and disclosed to the D.O.J. — had anything to do with securing a pardon is false,” she wrote on X, calling the claim defamatory. She has said she was never paid for a pardon and never met with anyone at the White House or Justice Department about one. She also pointed out that reports had already credited “another capable attorney” with winning the pardon.
Officials back her up on that point. The Justice Department said she “did not speak to anyone about a pardon.” A White House official said she “had nothing to do with the pardon” and that pardons go through a review by the White House Counsel’s Office and the Justice Department. Herrera Velutini’s lawyer, Christopher Kise, a former Florida solicitor general who once served on Trump’s legal team, helped make the case for the pardon, according to reports.
Why Trump’s Words Matter
The pardon power belongs to the president alone. That is why a large private payday near a pardon draws so much attention. People familiar with the contract believed she was hired to help with the pardon push, according to reports, a claim she denies. No one has been charged with any wrongdoing over the deal. Trump’s answer at Mar-a-Lago was blunt: he did not want her taking the money, and he said so in public.
For his supporters, that answer sets a clear line. A pardon should be judged on the facts of the case, not on who a family hires or how much it pays. Trump did not defend the deal or the lawyer who signed it. He called it outrageous and put distance between himself and the money. Habba Mildon, for her part, stands by her denial and says her job was cleared with the Justice Department.
Sources:
mediaite.com, nytimes.com, abajournal.com, independent.co.uk, yahoo.com
