Trump calls Habba's $50 million contract 'totally obnoxious and outrageous'
Donald TrumpPresident of the United States, speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago
Speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Trump says he found Habba's $50 million contract totally obnoxious and outrageous and not acceptable.
Responding to
Alina Habba's contract with the Herrera family's company was part of a pay-to-play arrangement to secure a pardon for Julio Herrera Velutini.
“I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous, and it's not acceptable”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Trump calls Alina Habba's $50 million deal with the family of a banker he pardoned 'not acceptable'; Habba denies any role in the pardon
On October 20, 2026, The New York Times reported that the family of Julio Herrera Velutini, a Venezuelan banker who had faced federal bribery charges and was seeking a pardon, guaranteed Alina Habba more than $50 million over four years to serve as general counsel of Concord Partners, a Florida company his daughter set up in October 2025. According to the Times, Habba finalized the deal while she was acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey and started on January 1, 2026, while she was a senior adviser at the Justice Department. Trump pardoned Herrera on January 15. Habba says her employment was vetted and disclosed to the Justice Department and had nothing to do with the pardon. On October 31, Trump told reporters the contract was 'totally obnoxious and outrageous' and not acceptable. Rep. Becca Balint calls the arrangement a pay-to-play pardon scheme, and Rep. Mike Levin says Americans deserve answers about what the deal was for.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Reuters reports Trump's remarks to reporters at Mar-a-Lago about Habba's contract with Concord Partners, recaps The New York Times reporting on the deal and the Justice Department's record of the January 15, 2026 pardon, and summarizes Habba's denial.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Reuters reports that Trump said it was unacceptable for Habba, one of his former lawyers, to secure a $50 million contract for herself while working at the Justice Department.
After the quotation
According to Reuters, Trump said he told Habba he did not want her to be paid and called the episode terrible.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Alina Habba's acceptance of a contract worth more than $50 million from the family of Julio Herrera Velutini, who sought and received a Trump pardon, while she held Justice Department posts. Trump calls the contract obnoxious, outrageous and not acceptable, which condemns it.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Alina Habba
More from this case
Read the full caseLevin says Americans 'deserve answers about what this deal was for'
“Every American deserves a justice system where the outcome doesn't depend on who you can pay. We deserve answers about what this deal was for, whether anyone profited from a presidential pardon, and why the president wanted money for himself.”Read statement
Balint says the pardon power 'was never supposed to be, if you have enough money, you get a pardon'
“It was intended to give the president some latitude to forgive people who had experienced a travesty of justice from the justice system. It was never supposed to be, if you have enough money, you get a pardon.”Read statement
Habba says any suggestion her employment was tied to the Herrera pardon is 'false and defamatory'
“Any insinuation that my employment - all of which has been vetted and disclosed to the D.O.J. - had anything to do with securing a pardon is false and defamatory.”Read statement
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- Trump calls Habba's $50 million contract 'totally obnoxious and outrageous'
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The Dispute Index. "Trump calls Habba's $50 million contract 'totally obnoxious and outrageous'". First published: 2026-11-09. Last updated: 2026-11-09. https://disputeindex.com/events/8459-speaking-to-reporters-at-mar-a-lago-trump