Trump criticizes Alina Habba's $50 million pardon-linked deal; she reportedly loses contract
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The gist
Trump called it "totally obnoxious and outrageous" that former lawyer Alina Habba took a $50 million pardon-linked deal.
The contract was reportedly pulled, putting ethics scrutiny on pardon-adjacent payments.
Background
Alina Habba, also referred to as Alina Habba Mildon, is President Trump's former personal lawyer and former interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey. She was among Trump's most visible legal defenders during the four years he was out of power, frequently appearing on cable TV news as his "legal spokesperson", and had limited federal court experience and no prosecutor experience. The current scrutiny follows New York Times reporting that Trump told aides and allies Habba should donate part of a contract worth more than $50 million to his library.
How it unfolded
- Mar 28, 2025Habba was sworn in as interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey in the Oval Office at the White House.
- Dec 1, 2025A federal appeals court upheld a lower court decision disqualifying Habba as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey.
- Dec 8, 2025Attorney General Pam Bondi accepted Habba's resignation as New Jersey's top prosecutor; Habba said she would remain at the Justice Department as a senior adviser.
- Oct 29, 2026The New York Times reported Trump had told aides and allies that Habba should donate part of a contract worth more than $50 million to his library or another Trump-related entity.
- Oct 31, 2026Trump declared it "totally obnoxious and outrageous" for Habba to agree to a $50 million deal to work with a billionaire Venezuelan family to secure a presidential pardon.
- Nov 4, 2026Megyn Kelly said on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Show she was "looking forward to seeing her go before Congress" over the matter.
- Nov 5, 2026CBS News reported Habba reacted with a "haha" to a text asking whether she planned to give recent earnings to Trump's presidential library, then pulled the reaction seconds later and declined to comment.
- Nov 10, 2026The New York Times reported Habba Mildon was fired last week by the family company that gave her a $50 million contract weeks before the pardon.
Key terms
- pardon
- A government decision that relieves a person of some or all legal consequences of a criminal conviction.
- U.S. attorney
- Chief federal law enforcement officer and prosecutor representing the U.S. government in one of the 94 federal judicial districts.
- Attorney General
- The chief law enforcement officer of a government, heading its justice department and serving as its top legal advisor.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Trump called the $50 million arrangement "totally obnoxious and outrageous" and said "I thought it was terrible" of the deal and reported fee.
- Public
- Host Megyn Kelly said "If what they're alleging is true, it was too cute by half" and that Trump was "genuinely angry that she pulled a fast one on him by getting all these riches."
- Caution
- Governor Ron DeSantis said Trump was criticizing Habba over a $10-million-a-year contract whose giver "got a presidential pardon somehow."
- Party
- Habba said she stepped down "to protect the stability and integrity of the office which I love" and "do not mistake compliance for surrender"; Bondi said the court's "flawed" ruling made it "untenable for her to effectively run her office."
Still unverified
Megyn Kelly said of the arrangement "It was obviously a payoff. That's my opinion" and "That's my guess. We'll find out"; Mediaite described the $50 million pardon deal as "alleged".