Donald Trump has criticised a former lawyer over a contract worth more than $50 million with the family of Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini, whom the US president later pardoned.
Alina Habba Mildon signed the four-year agreement while serving as a federal prosecutor, and began working for the banker’s family while still employed as an adviser to the US Department of Justice.
“I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous, and it’s not acceptable,” Mr Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Saturday. “Not acceptable at all,” he added.
The contract, signed in October 2025 with a company owned by Mr Herrera’s family, guaranteed Ms Habba Mildon more than $50 million over four years. It included an annual salary of $10 million and bonuses, according to The New York Times.
At the time, Ms Habba Mildon was acting US attorney for New Jersey, a post to which Mr Trump had appointed her after she worked as his personal lawyer.
She left the position in December after a court ruled that she could not legally serve in the role. She then took a job as a senior adviser to the attorney general at the Justice Department.
Ms Habba Mildon formally began working for the banker’s family on January 1, while remaining employed by the department. Two weeks later, on January 15, Mr Trump granted Mr Herrera a full presidential pardon.
The arrangement has prompted questions over possible conflicts of interest, given Ms Habba Mildon’s government position and her links to the president.
Mr Herrera had been accused of bribing former Puerto Rico governor Wanda Vazquez Garced in return for removing a financial regulator investigating his bank. He faced federal bribery charges before reaching a plea deal with prosecutors in August 2025.
The company that hired Ms Habba Mildon, Concord Partners, has no public profile and its business activities remain unclear, according to The New York Times. Ms Habba Mildon has denied playing any part in securing Mr Herrera’s pardon.
Last week, she said she had never been paid to obtain a pardon, had never discussed one with anyone at the White House or Justice Department and had never worked to secure a pardon for anyone.
Mr Trump was reportedly furious after learning the size of the contract. He told aides and allies that Ms Habba Mildon should donate some of the money to his future presidential library or another Trump-related organisation, and told at least one ally that Mr Herrera’s family should stop paying her the rest of the deal.
Speaking on Saturday, Mr Trump said he had told Ms Habba Mildon that he did not want her to be paid, describing the situation as “terrible”. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
