US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized his former personal lawyer, Alina Habba Mildon, after reports emerged that she signed a contract worth more than $50 million with the family of a Venezuelan banker whom Trump later pardoned. Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Saturday, Trump expressed strong disapproval of the financial deal.
“I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous, and it’s not acceptable,” Trump said, adding that the situation was “terrible” and that he had informed Habba Mildon he did not want her to accept the payment.
Details of the Contract and Government Roles
According to reporting by The New York Times, Habba Mildon entered into a four-year agreement in October 2025 with Concord Partners, a firm owned by the family of Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini. At the time of signing, Habba Mildon was serving as the acting US attorney for New Jersey, a position to which Trump had appointed her after she previously worked as his personal attorney. The contract guaranteed her an annual salary of $10 million plus bonuses, amounting to over $50 million across four years.
Habba Mildon departed the acting US attorney post in December following a judicial ruling that she could not legally occupy the role. She immediately joined the US Department of Justice as a senior adviser to the attorney general. On January 1, she formally began working for the banker’s family business while remaining employed by the Justice Department. Trump subsequently issued a full presidential pardon to Herrera on January 15.
Background and Ethical Concerns
Prior to receiving the presidential pardon, Herrera faced federal bribery charges in the United States over allegations that he bribed former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced to replace a financial regulator investigating his bank. Herrera had reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in August 2025. According to The New York Times, Concord Partners has no public profile, and its specific business operations remain unclear.
The sequence of events has prompted questions regarding potential conflicts of interest surrounding Habba Mildon’s government positions and her connections to the president. Habba Mildon has denied any role in securing the pardon, stating last week that she had never been paid to obtain one, had not discussed pardons with officials at the White House or the Justice Department, and had not worked on behalf of anyone seeking executive clemency.
Reports by The New York Times indicated that Trump was angered by the scale of the financial deal and suggested to aides that Habba Mildon should donate a portion of the funds to his future presidential library or a related organization, while telling an ally that the banker’s family should cease further payments under the contract. The US Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
