Trump 'Erupted' Over Habba's $50M Pardon Deal, Demanded She Donate to His Library

Trump privately "erupted" and "raged" to allies that Alina Habba, his former personal attorney, should donate part of a $50 million payout toward his future presidential library, The Independent reported Oct. 29, 2026, citing a New York Times follow-up. The reaction followed the Times' Oct. 20 report that pardoned Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini's family guaranteed Habba $10 million a year for four years through a Florida shell company, Concord Partners, while a senior Justice Department adviser.

Habba denies any link between the payout and the pardon; DOJ says she never discussed clemency with anyone. The episode is intertwined with a separate dispute in which Habba accused Richard Grenell -- who introduced her to her now-husband, Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon -- of mishandling a Kennedy Center donation Mildon made; Trump had already ordered a review of that claim Oct. 14.

Unclear whether the further "pay-for-influence" review Trump asked counsel Will Scharf to conduct is that same probe or a new one; neither it nor the library remark is resolved.