President Donald Trump criticized a multimillion-dollar agreement secured by his former personal attorney while she held a Justice Department position, raising questions about the timing of her employment arrangement with the family of a banker who subsequently received a presidential pardon.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump publicly condemned a contract worth more than $50 million awarded to his former personal attorney, Alina Habba Mildon, by the family of a Venezuelan banker who later received a presidential pardon, calling the arrangement unacceptable because it was negotiated while she held a senior position at the Department of Justice.
Speaking Saturday, Oct. 31, at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said he objected to the extraordinary compensation package secured by Habba Mildon, who previously served as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey and later became a senior adviser to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous, and it’s not acceptable,” Trump told reporters. “Not acceptable at all.”
According to a Reuters report published Nov. 1, Trump’s remarks followed reporting by The New York Times detailing a four-year employment agreement between Habba Mildon and Concord Partners, a company established by the family of Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini.
The contract reportedly guaranteed Habba Mildon more than $50 million, including an annual salary of $10 million and additional bonuses. The agreement was signed in late October 2025, when she was serving as acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey.
Trump said he personally informed Habba Mildon that he did not want her receiving the money and described the episode as “terrible.”
The New York Times investigation published Oct. 21 examined the financial arrangement and its connection to Herrera Velutini, a wealthy Venezuelan banker who had faced federal felony bribery charges involving former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced.
Herrera Velutini reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in August 2025 that reduced his criminal exposure to a misdemeanor campaign finance violation. Despite securing the agreement, he subsequently pursued a presidential pardon.
His daughter, Isabela Herrera, established Concord Partners in Florida in late October 2025, shortly before Habba Mildon entered into the lucrative employment contract.
The agreement called for Habba Mildon to serve as general counsel to the company, providing legal services under a compensation arrangement substantially exceeding the earnings typically associated with comparable corporate legal positions.
At the time she signed the contract, Habba Mildon was still serving as acting U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, although her authority to remain in that position had been challenged in federal court.
A court subsequently disqualified her from continuing in the U.S. attorney role. She formally resigned Dec. 8, 2025, and was appointed a senior adviser to the attorney general the same day.
According to The New York Times, Habba Mildon remained employed by the Justice Department when she began working for Concord Partners on Jan. 1, 2026.
Two weeks later, on Jan. 15, Trump granted Herrera Velutini a full and unconditional presidential pardon, according to Justice Department records.
The sequence of events has prompted scrutiny of whether the employment arrangement had any connection to Herrera Velutini’s efforts to obtain clemency.
Habba Mildon has denied participating in efforts to secure the pardon or receiving compensation related to the president’s decision.
She said she was never paid to obtain a pardon, never met with White House or Justice Department officials about securing one and never performed work intended to obtain clemency for anyone.
“Any insinuation that my employment — all of which has been vetted and disclosed to the DOJ — had anything to do with securing a pardon is false,” Habba Mildon said in a statement responding to the reporting.
The banker had separately retained attorney Christopher Kise, a former Florida solicitor general who previously represented Trump, to assist with his clemency efforts.
The New York Times also reported that Isabela Herrera contributed $3.5 million to a political action committee associated with Trump while her father was seeking a pardon.
Those financial transactions, combined with Habba Mildon’s government position and subsequent employment, have drawn attention to the circumstances surrounding the clemency decision. However, the reported timing of the agreement and pardon does not by itself establish that either transaction was unlawful or that the contract was payment for presidential clemency.
Additional reporting indicated that Trump privately objected to the compensation package after learning its terms.
According to an Oct. 29 New York Times report, the president told associates he believed a portion of Habba Mildon’s compensation should be directed toward his planned presidential library or another Trump-affiliated organization.
Trump also reportedly told at least one associate that the Herrera family should not continue paying the remainder of the contract. It remains unclear whether he directly requested a contribution from Habba Mildon or whether the family intends to modify the employment agreement.
The contract’s four-year term and guaranteed compensation also raise questions about whether the agreement can be terminated early and whether Habba Mildon remains entitled to payments under its provisions.
Habba Mildon’s professional relationship with Trump predates her Justice Department service. She represented him in several high-profile legal proceedings before joining his administration, becoming a prominent member of his legal team and later entering federal service.
Her appointment as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey generated separate legal challenges concerning whether she had been lawfully authorized to remain in the position. Those proceedings ultimately resulted in her disqualification and subsequent transfer to an advisory role within the Justice Department.
Trump’s remarks Saturday represented a public rebuke of a former attorney and administration official over an arrangement involving a family that had sought and received presidential clemency.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment about the reported agreement or the circumstances surrounding Habba Mildon’s outside employment.
No publicly established finding cited in the reports determined that Habba Mildon exchanged official action for compensation, and she continues to deny any involvement in obtaining Herrera Velutini’s pardon.
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