Trump calls former lawyer Alina Habba's $50M deal ‘not acceptable’

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump criticized a $50 million contract that his former lawyer, Alina Habba, reportedly secured during her time at the Justice Department. This follows reports that the family of Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini promised Habba more than $50 million over four years.

Talking with reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, October 31, Trump said he told Habba he didn’t want her taking the money. The contract has sparked scrutiny because Habba signed it while serving as acting US attorney for New Jersey, ahead of Herrera’s presidential pardon in January 2026.

Trump criticizes reported $50 million agreement as 'obnoxious and outrageous'

"I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous, ​and it's not acceptable," Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. "Not acceptable at all."

He also said he had told Habba that he did not want her to be paid, describing the episode as “terrible.”

Last week, The New York Times revealed that Herrera’s family promised Habba more than $50 million over four years. This came through a deal with Concord Partners, a company tied to the Herrera family. The deal reportedly handed Habba $10 million each year, plus bonuses.

The Times said Habba signed the contract while she was still acting US attorney for New Jersey. She put her signature on it just days after Concord Partners was created in late October 2025.

Herrera was indicted on federal felony bribery charges in August 2022. The billionaire banker struck a plea deal in August 2025, as reported by Reuters. Then, on January 15, 2026, the Justice Department’s website showed that Trump pardoned him.

Alina Habba denies receiving payment for pardon

Habba last week said ​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 for ​a pardon for anyone.

The New York Times says a court had already disqualified her from acting as US attorney before she started working for Herrera's family. She resigned from that role on December 8, 2025, and immediately took up a new position as a senior adviser to the attorney general.

She joined Concord Partners on January 1, 2026, while still working as a senior adviser, according to the newspaper.

Trump spoke out after the report tossed the financial deal back into the spotlight, especially with its connection to Habba's positions at the Justice Department and Herrera's pardon.

With his public criticism, he made it obvious he disapproved of the contract. Still, he didn’t spell out what he planned to do about it.