Trump ‘erupted’ when he learned of Alina Habba’s $50M pardon-for-pay allegations: report

Donald Trump “erupted” after he found out that Alina Habba, one of his former lawyers, attained a $50 million contract to work for a Venezuelan billionaire who was later pardoned by the president, according to a report.Trump privately “raged” to allies last week that Habba, the president’s former personal attorney, should donate some of the money toward his future presidential library or another Trump cause, The New York Times reports. Habba was hired by the Herrera family while she was serving as an adviser to the Justice Department and before she resigned in December 2025, the Times reported earlier this month. Julio Herrera Velutini, a banker, was indicted in 2022 on charges stemming from an alleged scheme to bribe Puerto Rico’s governor. Three years later, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor campaign finance violation as part of a plea deal.The Velutini family proposed paying Habba $10 million per year for four years plus additional bonuses, making for a total of $50 million. The deal made Habba, 42, general counsel to Concord Partners, a company established by Herrera’s wife in 2025. The firm has no public presence. The agreement was allegedly inked while Habba was serving as U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey — before she resigned after judges ruled her appointment had been unlawful. Her first day on the job at Concord Partners was in January. Later that month, Trump issued Herrera an unconditional pardon.Donald Trump ‘erupted’ after he learned that Alina Habba, one of his former lawyers, attained a $50 million contract to work for a Venezuelan billionaire who was later pardoned by the president, according to a report (AFP/Getty)The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.Sources with knowledge of Habba’s contract suggested she was hired to help secure the pardon, the Times reported.Habba, who recently married 29-year-old Turkish billionaire Turhan Mildon, denied that she played any role in obtaining the presidential pardon.“Any insinuation that my employment — all of which has been vetted and disclosed to the D.O.J. — had anything to do with securing a pardon is false,” she previously told the Times. The newspaper noted that, while employed by Concord Partners, Habba was a special government employee, a status that permits individuals to continue outside work with certain restrictions.In a social media post on Oct. 21, Habba denied wrongdoing and lashed out at the “fake news” over the reporting.Habba was hired by the Herrera family while she was serving as an adviser to the Justice Department and before she resigned in December 2025 (AFP/Getty)“The Fake News still seems very confused by this so let me be even more clear,” she posted on X. “I was never paid to secure a pardon. I never met with anyone at the White House or DOJ about a pardon. I’ve never done any work in any capacity whatsoever for a pardon for anyone, period.”A cottage industry of clemency lobbying has reportedly emerged during Trump’s second term, with lobbyists saying the going rate to advocate for a pardon is $1 million, The Wall Street Journal reported last year.Trump has also reportedly asked White House Counsel Will Scharf to investigate Habba’s involvement in another alleged pay-for-influence scandal.She has accused Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center’s former leader, of misleading her husband into making a multimillion-dollar donation intended for the performing arts center that it never received. Grenell has denied wrongdoing and described the allegation as “absurd.”