President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, Alina Habba Mildon, has reportedly lost a massive $50 million contract with a Florida-based law firm after the President himself publicly condemned the arrangement as a corrupting influence, according to reports from The New York Times.
The termination, which took place last week, comes after President Trump expressed his outrage over the deal, which linked Habba Mildon to the family of Julio Herrera Velutini, a Venezuelan banker who received a presidential pardon earlier this year. The timing of the contract—signed weeks before the pardon was issued—raised immediate red flags for the administration.
According to a November 4 letter reviewed by The New York Times, Habba Mildon was fired for a "failure to perform duties." A source familiar with the situation told the paper that Habba Mildon's priorities "shifted" after she began dating Turhan Mildon, to whom she is now married. Despite the termination, reports indicate she will keep an $8 million bonus and $6.5 million already paid out, a detail that will likely infuriate taxpayers already skeptical of the swamp's revolving door.
TRUMP'S FURY: "TOTALLY OBNOXIOUS"
The President did not mince words when addressing the scandal, which he viewed as a betrayal of his America First agenda and an insult to the legal profession. Speaking to reporters, Trump made it clear that he had directed his team to intervene in the contract dispute.
"I thought it was terrible. I told her, I said, I don't want her paid. We had somebody speak to the people that did it, and she used her relationship to do that. And it was far too much," the President said. "You know, it's one thing for a person to get paid legal fees or whatever — she's a lawyer. I thought it was a totally obnoxious and outrageous and it's not acceptable. Not acceptable, at all."
The President's decisive action underscores his commitment to draining the swamp, even when it means holding his own former employees accountable. He had previously suggested that Habba Mildon should make a large donation to his presidential library to make amends for the perceived impropriety.
THE PARDON CONTROVERSY
The core of the scandal centers on Julio Herrera Velutini, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor campaign finance violation in August 2025 after being accused of attempting to bribe the governor of Puerto Rico in 2022. Following his plea, Herrera's family reportedly began working on securing a pardon through Habba Mildon and her ties to the President.
The family's law firm, Concord Partners, was registered in Florida shortly before Habba Mildon was hired. The $50 million contract was signed just weeks before Trump issued the pardon, creating a narrative that the President has vehemently rejected. The White House maintains that the pardon was based on the merits of the case and had nothing to do with the lucrative contract. However, the optics were undeniably damaging, and the President's swift condemnation of the deal served to distance the administration from the appearance of pay-to-play politics.
The story gained traction on social media, with users across platforms scrutinizing the relationship between the pardon and the contract. As reported by Democracy Now on X, the termination has sparked a wider conversation about the influence of money in politics and the access granted to those with ties to the Oval Office.
NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET
While the loss of the contract is a significant blow, Habba Mildon is not yet clear of legal trouble. In a separate development reported just yesterday, the Office of Attorney Ethics in New Jersey recommended that Mildon be disciplined for her role in settling a sexual harassment complaint brought by a waitress at President Trump's golf club in New Jersey.
This latest recommendation adds another layer of scrutiny onto a figure who once served as one of the most visible defenders of the President during his legal battles. The dual developments—the loss of the $50 million deal and the recommendation for discipline—signal a dramatic fall from grace for a lawyer who was once a fixture in the President's inner circle.
For now, the President has made it clear that he expects a certain standard of conduct from those who represent him. The termination of the contract is a victory for transparency and a signal that the days of using proximity to power for personal enrichment are over. The American people demand fair play, and the President's swift action against a deal he deemed "outrageous" proves that he is listening.
Our Take
President Trump just showed the entire political establishment what it means to drain the swamp. While the legacy media loves to paint him as a man of chaos, he is a man of principle who demands accountability. Alina Habba Mildon made a catastrophic error in judgment, and the President didn't hesitate to put the interests of the American people and the integrity of his administration above a personal friendship.
The fact that she walked away with millions—$14.5 million to be exact—while being fired for "failure to perform duties" is a glaring indictment of the culture of the Washington swamp. But the President's public outrage and his personal direction to kill the deal is the only reason the public found out about it. This is what leadership looks like. It is not the polite, corporate boardroom politics of the Bush era. It is the raw, unfiltered, and often brutal pursuit of the public good.
This story should serve as a warning to every lawyer, lobbyist, and consultant in D.C.: If you try to exploit your relationship with President Trump to line your pockets, you will be exposed. The President didn't protect his former lawyer; he protected the presidency itself. And in doing so, he delivered a blow to the pay-to-play culture that has infected our nation's capital for decades.
