Donald Trump turned on a former loyalist after learning of her new role, calling the arrangement outrageous. The president criticized Alina Habba’s reported $50 million contract with a Venezuelan banker’s family.
Trump made the comments Saturday at his Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago. The deal reportedly emerged while Habba advised the Justice Department.
Donald Trump criticizes his former lawyer’s contract with Venezuelan banker’s family
As per Reuters, Trump said, “I thought it was terrible.” He added, “I said I don’t want her paid. We had somebody speak to the people that did it, and she used her relationship to do that, and it was far too much.” He later called the arrangement “totally obnoxious and outrageous,” adding, “it’s not acceptable. Not acceptable at all.”
The New York Times reported that Habba secured the contract in late 2025. The family of Venezuelan billionaire banker Julio Herrera Velutini reportedly hired her as general counsel for Concord Partners, a company founded by his daughter. The agreement guaranteed more than $50 million over four years, including a $10 million salary and bonuses. Paperwork listed January 1, 2026, as her start date.
Habba reportedly signed the deal while serving as a federal prosecutor and Justice Department adviser. She later began working for the family while still advising the department. She resigned in December 2025 after a court ruled she could not legally continue in that role. She then became a senior adviser to the attorney general.
Herrera Velutini faced a 2022 indictment over allegations that he tried to bribe Puerto Rico’s governor. In 2025, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor campaign finance violation. Trump later pardoned him on the bribery charges and the campaign finance violation, according to the report.
Reportedly, he told aides Habba should donate some proceeds to his future presidential library or another organization tied to him. He reportedly told an ally the Herrera family should stop paying the contract’s remaining balance. Habba, 42, married Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon in September at New York’s Waldorf Astoria, eight months after finalizing her second divorce.
