Trump slams his ‘outrageous’ former attorney Alina Habba for signing secret $50m deal without his blessing: ‘It’s totally obnoxious’
Donald Trump has criticised his former attorney Alina Habba for taking a four-year, reported $50 million job as general counsel to Concord Partners, saying she secured it through her relationship with the company and calling the deal unacceptable. He has also reportedly urged allies to tell the Venezuelan Herrera family not to pay the remaining contract sum, and said Habba should give some of the money to his presidential library or another Trump-linked organisation.
Habba formally began the role on 1 January, after Concord Partners was started by the daughter of Julio Herrera Velutini. The New York Times reported that Velutini faced a campaign finance-related bribery charge and was pardoned in January 2026. The article also describes Habba’s recent marriage to Turkish billionaire Turhan Mildon and a separate dispute over his reported $5.6 million donation to the Kennedy Center; allegations about the donation are denied by former centre chief Ric Grenell.
In short
- Trump calls Habba’s reported $50 million contract unacceptable.
- He reportedly wants some of the money directed to a Trump-linked entity.
- Habba’s new role and her husband’s Kennedy Center donation have drawn scrutiny.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Trump’s strongest case is that a former attorney’s lucrative appointment by a company linked to a family with whom she had professional dealings could raise questions about conflicts of interest, especially if the terms were not disclosed to him as expected. He could argue that asking for transparency and caution over an unpaid contract balance protects his interests and those of his supporters, while any suggested donation should be voluntary and properly handled.
The case against
Habba’s strongest case is that, once her legal work for Trump ended, she was entitled to accept a private-sector role on terms agreed with the company, without needing his blessing or sharing her compensation with organisations he favours. A company’s family connections or a relative’s past legal case do not by themselves establish wrongdoing, and Trump’s reported pressure over payment or a donation could be seen as an attempt to exert influence over her independent career.
Explained simply
Donald Trump is a US politician and businessman who served as president, while Alina Habba is a lawyer who represented him. After leaving that role, she took a senior legal job at Concord Partners, a company founded by the daughter of Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini.
The story raises questions about the terms of Habba’s employment and her links to people connected with the company. It also touches on the overlap between Trump’s political circle, private business and organisations associated with his name.