President Trump publicly slammed his former attorney Alina Habba Mildon on Saturday over a reported $50 million contract tied to the family of a Venezuelan banker he later pardoned, calling the arrangement “totally obnoxious and outrageous.”
Speaking to reporters during a Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump made clear he was not happy with the deal.
“I thought it was terrible. I told her,” Trump said. “I said I don’t want her paid.”
The president added that while it is one thing for a lawyer to collect legal fees, the sum was far too much. “Not acceptable at all,” he said.
The comments followed a New York Times report last week that the family of Venezuelan billionaire Julio Herrera Velutini guaranteed Habba Mildon more than $50 million over four years. According to the Times, the contract would pay her $10 million a year plus bonuses.
Habba Mildon was serving as acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey when she signed the contract with Herrera’s family company, Concord Partners, days after the firm was registered in late October 2025, the Times reported. Her work under the deal reportedly began in January, weeks before Trump granted Herrera a full pardon.
Herrera, founder of Bancrédito International Bank & Trust, was charged in 2022 with conspiracy, bribery and fraud before striking a plea deal in August 2025. Trump pardoned him on Jan. 15, 2026, according to the Justice Department’s website.
Habba Mildon has denied any wrongdoing. She said last week that she was never paid for a pardon, never met with anyone at the White House or Justice Department about a pardon and never did any work to obtain a pardon for anyone.
A reporter asked Trump about a Times report that he had told aides Habba Mildon should donate a portion of the money to his future presidential library or another Trump-related entity. Trump brushed off the question, calling the situation “unacceptable.”
The Times also reported that Trump told at least one ally the Herrera family should stop paying Habba Mildon the remaining balance under the contract.
Habba Mildon is one of Trump’s most recognizable legal defenders, having represented him in several high-profile civil cases before he returned to the White House. She later served as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey but left that post in December after a court ruled she could not legally continue in the role. She subsequently took a position as a senior adviser at the Justice Department.
The president’s rebuke drew strong reactions online from observers across the political spectrum, with some critics questioning his motives and others praising him for drawing a line on the arrangement.
The White House has not announced any further action regarding the contract.
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