Trump calls ex-lawyer Habba's $50 million contract 'totally obnoxious and outrageous'

President Donald Trump publicly criticized a $50 million contract that one of his former lawyers, Alina Habba, signed while working at the Justice Department. He spoke Saturday, Oct. 31, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, according to Reuters ¹. Trump said he told Habba he did not want her to be paid, and he called the episode "terrible" ¹.

totally obnoxious and outrageous

The New York Times first reported the contract on Oct. 21. Its reporting says the family of Julio Herrera Velutini, a Venezuelan-born banker, offered Habba $10 million a year for four years plus bonuses. That is a guarantee of more than $50 million ².

The pardon timeline

Herrera was charged in 2022 in a scheme to bribe Puerto Rico's governor. In August 2025 he pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor campaign finance charge ². The Times reported that he sought a pardon through Christopher Kise, a lawyer on Trump's personal legal team. It also reported that his daughter gave $3.5 million to a super PAC (a political group that can raise unlimited money) tied to Trump ².

Habba signed with Concord Partners, a Florida company Herrera's daughter set up in late October 2025. She signed days after it was registered, while she was still acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey ¹². A court disqualified her from that job, and she resigned on Dec. 8, 2025, becoming a senior adviser to the attorney general ¹.

From Channel GOPTrump on pardoning officials: "I'd be allowed toDonald Trump · 184 plays · captioned, with the source named

She started at Concord on Jan. 1, 2026, according to the Times ¹. On Jan. 15, Trump pardoned Herrera, according to the Justice Department's website ¹. The Times said people familiar with her contract believed she was brought in to help with the pardon push ².

Denials and what is unknown

Habba has denied any connection. She said she was never paid for a pardon, never met anyone at the White House or Justice Department about one, and never did work toward one for anyone ¹. In a statement to the Times, she said her employment had been vetted by and disclosed to the Justice Department ².

A White House official told the Times that Habba had nothing to do with the pardon. The official said pardons go through a review that includes the White House Counsel's Office and the Justice Department ². The Justice Department did not immediately answer Reuters' request for comment on Trump's remarks ¹.

Trump also reportedly told allies that Habba should give part of the money to his future presidential library or another Trump-related group. He indicated the family should not make the remaining payments ³. Those details come from the Times as relayed by VINnews, and we have not confirmed them independently. None of the reports we read says an official investigation has been opened, and none says whether any payments will stop ¹³. We found no on-the-record reaction from Democrats in them.

That matters because the president, who has the sole power to grant pardons, is now calling the arrangement unacceptable. Yet the pardon it surrounds is still in force. The Times describes a wider "pardon industry" in Trump's second term, in which wealthy defendants pay connected lawyers and lobbyists to seek clemency ². Whether anyone looks into this case is still an open question.

The Record

1. Aug 1, 2025Herrera Velutini pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor campaign finance charge after being charged in a Puerto Rico bribery scheme ².
2. Dec 8, 2025Habba resigned as U.S. attorney after a court disqualified her from the job, and became a senior adviser to the attorney general ¹.
3. Jan 15, 2026Trump pardoned Herrera, according to the Justice Department's website ¹.
4. Oct 31, 2026Trump called Habba's contract 'totally obnoxious and outrageous' at Mar-a-Lago ³.

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<h2>Trump calls ex-lawyer Habba&#39;s $50 million contract &#39;totally obnoxious and outrageous&#39;</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Investigations Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-calls-ex-lawyer-habba-s-50-million-contract-totally-obnoxious-and-outrageous">The GOP Files</a> on Sunday, November 1, 2026.</em></p> <p>President Donald Trump publicly criticized a $50 million contract that one of his former lawyers, Alina Habba, signed while working at the Justice Department. He spoke Saturday, Oct. 31, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, according to Reuters . Trump said he told Habba he did not want her to be paid, and he called the episode &quot;terrible&quot; .</p> <blockquote><p>totally obnoxious and outrageous</p><p>&mdash; Donald Trump, President, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>The New York Times first reported the contract on Oct. 21. Its reporting says the family of Julio Herrera Velutini, a Venezuelan-born banker, offered Habba $10 million a year for four years plus bonuses. That is a guarantee of more than $50 million .</p> <h2>The pardon timeline</h2> <p>Herrera was charged in 2022 in a scheme to bribe Puerto Rico&#39;s governor. In August 2025 he pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor campaign finance charge . The Times reported that he sought a pardon through Christopher Kise, a lawyer on Trump&#39;s personal legal team. It also reported that his daughter gave $3.5 million to a super PAC (a political group that can raise unlimited money) tied to Trump .</p> <p>Habba signed with Concord Partners, a Florida company Herrera&#39;s daughter set up in late October 2025. She signed days after it was registered, while she was still acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey . A court disqualified her from that job, and she resigned on Dec. 8, 2025, becoming a senior adviser to the attorney general .</p> <p>She started at Concord on Jan. 1, 2026, according to the Times . On Jan. 15, Trump pardoned Herrera, according to the Justice Department&#39;s website . The Times said people familiar with her contract believed she was brought in to help with the pardon push .</p> <h2>Denials and what is unknown</h2> <p>Habba has denied any connection. She said she was never paid for a pardon, never met anyone at the White House or Justice Department about one, and never did work toward one for anyone . In a statement to the Times, she said her employment had been vetted by and disclosed to the Justice Department .</p> <p>A White House official told the Times that Habba had nothing to do with the pardon. The official said pardons go through a review that includes the White House Counsel&#39;s Office and the Justice Department . The Justice Department did not immediately answer Reuters&#39; request for comment on Trump&#39;s remarks .</p> <p>Trump also reportedly told allies that Habba should give part of the money to his future presidential library or another Trump-related group. He indicated the family should not make the remaining payments . Those details come from the Times as relayed by VINnews, and we have not confirmed them independently. None of the reports we read says an official investigation has been opened, and none says whether any payments will stop . We found no on-the-record reaction from Democrats in them.</p> <p>That matters because the president, who has the sole power to grant pardons, is now calling the arrangement unacceptable. Yet the pardon it surrounds is still in force. The Times describes a wider &quot;pardon industry&quot; in Trump&#39;s second term, in which wealthy defendants pay connected lawyers and lobbyists to seek clemency . Whether anyone looks into this case is still an open question.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-calls-ex-lawyer-habba-s-50-million-contract-totally-obnoxious-and-outrageous">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/trump-calls-ex-lawyer-habba-s-50-million-contract-totally-obnoxious-and-outrageous.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Reuters (via AOL), “Trump calls $50 million contract for ex-lawyer Habba Mildon 'not acceptable'” (2026-11-01). aol.com/articles/trump-calls-50-million-contract-022149000.h
2. The New York Times (via GV Wire), “A Billionaire Wanted a Trump Pardon. His Family Gave Alina Habba a $50 Million Deal.” (2026-10-21). gvwire.com/2026/10/21/a-billionaire-wanted-a-trump-pardon-hi
3. VINnews, “Trump Calls Former Attorney Alina Habba's $50 Million Contract 'Totally Obnoxious and Outrageous'” (2026-11-01). vinnews.com/2026/11/01/trump-calls-former-attorney-alina-hab

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