Trump’s Fury at Alina Habba Could Deepen After She Laughs Off Suggestion She Donate $50 Million to His Presidential Library

President Trump’s declaration on Halloween that it was “totally obnoxious and outrageous” for his erstwhile lawyer Alina Habba to agree to a $50 million deal to work with a billionaire Venezuelan family to secure a presidential pardon underscores the strain in what had been a close alliance.On Thursday, though, CBS News reported that Ms. Habba, when asked via text message whether she would donate a portion of the fee to Mr. Trump’s nascent presidential library, “responded to the text message with a ‘haha’ reaction. (She removed the reaction seconds later and declined to comment).”“I thought it was terrible,” Mr. Trump said of the $50 million arrangement between Ms. Habba and a company founded by the daughter of Julio Herrera Velutini, who was eventually pardoned by Mr. Trump. Ms. Habba undertook the work while serving as a senior adviser to the Department of Justice. She previously served as acting United States attorney for New Jersey but was disqualified last year when the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that she had been unlawfully appointed.Mr. Trump added that the sum involved was “far too much” and declared, “I don’t want her paid.” Her contract with the Herrera Velutini family, the New York Times reports, began on January 1 and pays her $10 million a year over four years, with additional bonuses and incentives. Mr. Herrera Velutini was granted a full and unconditional pardon for a misdemeanor campaign-finance violation two weeks later. The White House describes his case as an example of “political prosecution.”In 2025, Mr. Herrera Velutini reached a plea deal on felony bribery charges in connection with the financing of the campaign of former Puerto Rico governor Wanda Vázquez Garced. The Herrera Velutini family is among Venezuela’s largest landowners, with ancestors traceable to 14th-century Spain, then part of the Kingdom of Castile.In September, Ms. Habba, 43, married a Turkish billionaire, Turhan Mildon, 29. The wedding took place at the Waldorf Astoria, with Mr. Trump, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Attorney General Todd Blanche in attendance. Mr. Mildon is the chief executive of Turkey-based Miller Holding, a family business. Middle East Eye reports that Mr. Mildon has invested some $1 billion in construction projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including $67 million for a “drone base” at Kisangani.Mr. Mildon, who divorced a Turkish heiress in January 2025, previously dated the daughter of Venezuelan admiral Remigio Ceballos, who was sanctioned by America in 2019 for working “on behalf of the oppressive regime of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.” Ms. Habba’s first marriage was to fellow lawyer Matthew Eyet. They divorced in 2019 and had two children together. She married businessman Gregg Reuben in 2020. They divorced earlier this year.Mr. Blanche, like Ms. Habba, served as a defense lawyer for Mr. Trump before being elevated to a powerful post at the DOJ. While Mr. Blanche focused on Mr. Trump’s criminal trials — including the two brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith and the one brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg — Ms. Habba was detailed to civil cases.Those included the civil-fraud lawsuit brought against Mr. Trump by New York Attorney General Letitia James. That case resulted in a judgment of some $500 million against Mr. Trump, though the penalty was thrown out on appeal as precluded by the Constitution’s prohibition on “excessive fines.” Ms. Habba also represented Mr. Trump in the $83 million defamation case brought against him by the columnist E. Jean Carroll. Mr. Trump lost that case, but his appeal is pending before the Supreme Court.The podcaster Megyn Kelly joined Ms. Habba’s chorus of critics on Wednesday, declaring: “I practiced law for 10 years at the very highest levels in this country. There isn’t a firm in America, and I’m talking about the best firms, the absolute best, that pays its lawyers $10 million a year with the experience packet that Alina Habba has.” Ms. Kelly added that “it was obviously a payoff” and said, “I actually am looking forward to seeing her go before Congress and be questioned about this.”

Trump’s Fury at Alina Habba Could Deepen After She Laughs Off Suggestion She Donate $50 Million to His Presidential Library

Trump’s Fury at Alina Habba Could Deepen After She Laughs Off Suggestion She Donate $50 Million to His Presidential Library

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