Habba says any suggestion her employment was tied to the Herrera pardon is 'false and defamatory'
Alina HabbaFormer acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey and former Trump personal lawyer, posting on X
Habba writes on X that her employment was vetted and disclosed to the Justice Department and that any suggestion it had anything to do with securing a pardon is false and defamatory.
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.
“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.”
Original post
Original post
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
Original post
About this source
Habba writes that she has gone back to working as a lawyer since leaving public service, that any suggestion her employment had anything to do with securing a pardon is false and defamatory, and calls the report an October surprise.
Original post
About this source
Habba writes that she was never paid to secure a pardon, never met with anyone at the White House or the Justice Department about a pardon, and never did any work for a pardon for anyone.
Before the quotation
Posting on X the evening the Times published its report, Habba writes that after leaving public service she has gone back to being a lawyer, and that the Times has already credited another attorney for what he did without her.
After the quotation
She adds that the Times keeps using her former name and calls the report an October surprise. In a second post the next day, she writes that she was never paid to secure a pardon and never did any work for a pardon for anyone.
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. Habba denies that her employment had anything to do with securing the pardon.
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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
Trump calls Habba's $50 million contract 'totally obnoxious and outrageous'
“I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous, and it's not acceptable”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
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- Habba says any suggestion her employment was tied to the Herrera pardon is 'false and defamatory'
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The Dispute Index. "Habba says any suggestion her employment was tied to the Herrera pardon is 'false and defamatory'". First published: 2026-11-09. Last updated: 2026-11-09. https://disputeindex.com/events/8460-habba-writes-on-x-that-her-employment-was