# White House delays inquiry into Habba’s disputed Kennedy Center donation claim

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/white-house-civil-war-hits-fever-pitch-as-trump-probe-into-alina-habbas-feud-with-ric-grenell-and-her-billionaire-husbands-missing-millions-takes-dark-twist/
- Published: 2026-10-28T19:46:29+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T20:12:50+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16243107/alina-habba-ric-grenell-kennedy-center-text.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Art, Culture, Entertainment, Music, World

## Key points

- White House officials are questioning whether a key text message is genuine.
- Habba’s husband says $5.6 million was intended for the Kennedy Center.
- Trump’s team has postponed its decision until after the midterms.

## Summary

The White House is investigating Alina Habba’s accusation that former Kennedy Center president Ric Grenell failed to pass on money her husband intended to donate to the arts centre. President Donald Trump asked White House counsel Will Scharf to look into the dispute, but officials are now questioning the authenticity of the text message Habba cites and have delayed a verdict until after the midterm elections.

Habba’s husband, Turhan Mildon, says he wired $17.6 million to a Houston defence firm in May 2025 on Grenell’s instructions, believing $5.6 million would go to the Kennedy Center. Grenell denies involvement in the transfer, and the centre’s records show no donation of that scale; Mildon later paid an outstanding $270,000 pledge on 13 October. Officials say they have not determined whether the text is genuine, while the two sides disagree about what evidence has been provided.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.