Mar-a-Lago, Fla. — Nov. 1, 2026

President Donald Trump publicly criticized his former attorney Alina Habba on Saturday night over a reported $50 million contract with the family of Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini, whom Trump pardoned in January. He called the arrangement “obnoxious and outrageous.”

Speaking to reporters at a Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said the payout was “unacceptable” and that he had told Habba he disapproved.

What’s been reported

• The contract: The New York Times reported on Oct. 20 that Habba became general counsel of Concord Partners, a company established by the Herrera family in 2025. The terms were $10 million a year for four years plus bonuses, more than $50 million in total.
• The case: Herrera Velutini was indicted in August 2022 on bribery-related charges tied to an alleged scheme to influence Puerto Rico’s then-governor, Wanda Vázquez Garced. In August 2025 he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor campaign finance violation under a plea deal.
• The pardon: Trump pardoned Herrera Velutini on Jan. 15, 2026, a few weeks after Habba began working at Concord.
• The timing: According to the Times, Habba was hired while she was an adviser at the Justice Department.
• The donations: Herrera Velutini’s daughter gave $3.5 million to a Trump-aligned super PAC, according to the Times and the Campaign Legal Center.

Habba has denied any link between her employment and the pardon. She says the Justice Department vetted and approved her outside work and that she played no role in securing clemency.

The Times also reported that Trump “erupted” when he learned of the deal. It said he told aides and allies she should donate part of the money to his future presidential library or another Trump-related entity, and that he told at least one ally the family should not pay her the rest of the contract. The White House has not announced any formal action.

Critics, including the watchdog group Campaign Legal Center, have called the sequence of the donations, the contract and the pardon a sign of access-peddling. Habba and Trump’s allies have rejected that characterization.

Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6186814-trump-calls-habba-pay-outrageous/amp/