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Corruption & Accountability · Report · File No. 261111-149

Habba Mildon's $50M deal with pardoned banker's family firm ended days after Trump rebuke

Alina Habba Mildon, a former Trump lawyer, was reportedly fired from a $50 million contract with a firm run by the family of a banker Trump pardoned. The case shows how closely government favors and private money can be tied.

By the Investigations Desk · · 2 min read

Every quote in this story (1) was matched word for word against its source. How we work

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Alina Habba
Alina Habba. Photo: U.S. Department of Justice, Public domain

Alina Habba Mildon, a former personal attorney to President Trump, has reportedly been fired from a $50 million contract with a Florida company tied to a billionaire banker whom Trump pardoned. The Hill reported the news on Nov. 11, citing The New York Times 1.

Concord Partners ended her contract in a Nov. 4 letter obtained by The New York Times. The letter cited a "failure to perform duties." Concord was founded by the daughter of Venezuelan billionaire Julio Herrera Velutini 1.

On tapeThe Hill · Nov 11
The Hill report on Alina Habba Mildon's reported firing from a $50 million Concord Partners contract.Video: The Hill on YouTube, “Alina Habba Mildon fired from $50 million contract that angered Trump”. It plays from YouTube when you press play.

What the deal looked like

Habba Mildon was hired as Concord's general counsel (its top in-house lawyer) under a four-year agreement. It guaranteed her more than $50 million in salary and bonuses 1. Reuters, also citing the Times, put the pay at $10 million a year plus bonuses 2.

She signed the deal while she was still acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey, days after Concord was registered in late October 2025 2. She started at Concord on Jan. 1 while serving as a senior adviser to the attorney general and a special government employee 12.

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Herrera Velutini had faced felony bribery charges over an alleged scheme to influence the governor of Puerto Rico. In August 2025 he reached a plea agreement that cut the case to a misdemeanor campaign finance violation 1.

He then hired Christopher Kise, a former Trump attorney, to help seek a pardon. His daughter, Isabela Herrera, also gave $3.5 million to a Trump-aligned super PAC (a group that can raise unlimited money for political causes) 1. Trump pardoned Herrera Velutini on Jan. 15, 2026, according to the Justice Department's website 2. Two other defendants in the case, including former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced, were pardoned at the same time 1.

Trump's rebuke and the firing

Trump criticized the arrangement publicly in remarks Reuters reported on Nov. 2. He called it "totally obnoxious and outrageous" 12. He also said he had told Habba Mildon he did not want her paid 1.

A source close to the family told the Times that Habba Mildon's priorities appeared to shift after she began dating her now-husband earlier this year 1. She will keep an $8 million signing bonus and $6.5 million in payments already received, a total of $14.5 million. A person close to her says she plans legal action 1.

Habba Mildon has denied any role in the pardon. In a statement last month she said her employment, which she says was vetted and disclosed to the Justice Department, had nothing to do with securing it 1. She told Reuters she was never paid for a pardon and did no work toward one for anyone 2. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment 2.

Why it matters

That matters because the sequence is hard to ignore. A defendant wins a pardon, and weeks earlier his family's company gave a sitting Trump Justice Department official a deal worth $50 million. No ruling or charge says the two were linked, and she denies it.

The pattern is also telling. By Trump's own account, the deal lasted until he objected. The reported end of the contract followed his public criticism, and the company cited her performance 1. Congress has not yet said whether it will look into the arrangement.

The Record

  1. Herrera Velutini reached a plea deal that cut a felony bribery case to a misdemeanor campaign finance violation (August 2025) 1.
  2. Habba Mildon formally began working for Concord Partners while serving as a senior adviser to the attorney general 1.
  3. Trump pardoned Herrera Velutini, according to the Justice Department's website 2.
  4. Concord Partners sent a letter ending Habba Mildon's contract, citing 'failure to perform duties' 1.
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Sources

  1. The Hill, “Alina Habba Mildon loses $50M contract after Trump criticism” (2026-11-11). thehill.com/homenews/administration/6213856-alina-habba-mild
  2. Reuters (via The Washington Post/News Tribune), “Trump calls $50 million contract for ex-lawyer Habba Mildon 'not acceptable'” (2026-11-02). newstribune.com/news/2026/nov/02/trump-calls-50-million-cont

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