President Trump publicly ripped his own former personal lawyer over a $50 million consulting deal tied to a pardon he granted weeks later.
Quick Take
- President Trump called a $50 million deal involving his ex-lawyer “totally obnoxious and outrageous.”
- The money came from the family of Julio Herrera Velutini, a businessman Trump pardoned weeks after they hired attorney Alina Habba Mildon.
- Mildon denies she was ever paid for a pardon or spoke with White House or Justice Department officials about one.
- Trump reportedly told the family not to pay the rest of the contract.
A Four-Year Contract Worth Millions
The New York Times reported that Mildon signed a four-year contract paying $10 million a year plus bonuses, totaling more than $50 million, while she was still working as a Justice Department adviser. The family of Venezuelan-Italian businessman Julio Herrera Velutini hired her through a company his daughter founded. Herrera Velutini had faced federal bribery allegations before pleading guilty to a misdemeanor campaign-finance charge. Weeks after the hiring, Trump pardoned him.
Trump said it was “totally obnoxious and outrageous” for Habba's $50 million deal for work with a billionaire Venezuelan family seeking a presidential pardon. In other words, The Don didn't get his cut. https://t.co/uVhCaEDvvR
— Empowering Main St. Before Wall St. (@EmpowerMainSt) November 1, 2026
Trump Calls the Deal “Obnoxious”
Trump said the arrangement was “totally obnoxious and outrageous” and “not acceptable”. He made the comments on the record after reporters asked about the contract’s size and its timing next to the pardon. The remarks put him on record criticizing a deal tied to a lawyer who represented him personally for years before joining his administration.
The Times also reported, citing people briefed on the conversations, that Trump privately told the Herrera family not to pay the rest of the contract balance. That detail suggests his objection went beyond a public statement. It points to direct involvement in stopping future payments tied to the agreement.
Mildon Denies Any Pardon Connection
Mildon said any claim that her employment “had anything to do with securing a pardon is false”. She added she was never paid for a pardon, never met with anyone at the White House or Justice Department about one, and never did pardon-related work. The Justice Department told reporters she did not discuss a pardon with anyone, and a White House official said she had no role in the Herrera pardon.
Reports also say Trump wanted part of the contract money sent to his presidential library or another Trump-linked entity. That detail hands critics a separate target. It shifts some scrutiny toward Trump’s own financial interest, not just the alleged pardon exchange.
Trump reportedly upset over Alina Habba’s alleged $50 million consulting deal linked to a Venezuelan billionaire’s family, amid scrutiny over the timing of a presidential pardon. Habba denies any wrongdoing. pic.twitter.com/Megi2xZQGA
— THE REAL Q GLOBAL RESET (@the_realqg) November 1, 2026
What Remains Unconfirmed
No public record yet shows the contract’s actual scope of work, invoices, or messages linking the payments to pardon advocacy. One independent commentary review called the timing “speculative and circumstantial,” arguing correlation does not prove causation [14
