The name in the headlines is Alina Habba Mildon, the former acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey. Trump called the deal "unacceptable" on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at Mar-a-Lago, where he told reporters: "I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous, and it's not acceptable. Not acceptable at all." (Reuters, October 31, 2026)
His objection was to the contract itself. The New York Times reported that the family of Julio Herrera Velutini, a Venezuelan banker who struck a plea deal in August 2025, guaranteed Habba more than $50 million over four years, reportedly $10 million a year plus bonuses. She signed it with a company tied to the family while she was serving as acting U.S. attorney, weeks before Trump gave Herrera Velutini a full pardon for misdemeanor campaign finance violations.
Trump said he told her he did not want her to be paid. The Times also reported that he told aides she should donate part of the money to his future presidential library or another Trump-linked organization, and that the family should stop paying the remaining balance. Habba has said she was never paid for a pardon, never met anyone at the White House or Justice Department about one, and did no pardon work for anyone. The pardon link is reported, not established, so the contract and the pardon timing are the documented facts, and the motive is the Times's account.
Sources: Reuters (via News-Tribune, October 31, 2026) and The Hill's report of the same remarks.
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