Levin says Americans 'deserve answers about what this deal was for'
Mike LevinU.S. Representative from California, in a video posted to his official Bluesky account
Rep. Mike Levin recounts Alina Habba's contract with the Herrera family's company and the pardon, and calls for answers about what the deal was for, in a video posted to his official Bluesky account on November 4, 2026.
Excerpt from 1:31 to 2:54 of the Rep. Mike Levin video. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: Office of Rep. Mike Levin. Public domain (U.S. government work) (opens in a new tab)
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: Full video, 2:54; Habba section from 1:31)
Closing a video on the Habba contract, Levin says the justice system should not depend on who can pay and asks what the deal was for, whether anyone profited from the pardon, and why Trump wanted money for himself.
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.
“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.”
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
In an episode of his Corruption Chronicles series, Levin recounts the Herrera family's donations, the Habba contract and the pardon, notes that Habba and the White House deny any link, and calls for answers about what the deal was for.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Watch the clip from this source at the top of the page.
Before the quotation
In an episode of his Corruption Chronicles video series, Levin recounts the Herrera family's donations to a pro-Trump super PAC, Habba's contract and the pardon, notes that Habba and the White House deny any link, and cites the Times report that Trump wanted part of her pay redirected to his presidential library.
After the quotation
The quotation closes the video, which Levin's post presents as a case study in profiting from proximity to the president.
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. Levin presents the donations, the contract and the pardon as a sequence in which outcomes depend on who can pay and demands answers, which condemns the arrangement.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Donald Trump, Alina Habba
More from this case
Read the full caseTrump 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
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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The Dispute Index. "Levin says Americans 'deserve answers about what this deal was for'". First published: 2026-11-09. Last updated: 2026-11-09. https://disputeindex.com/events/8462-closing-a-video-on-the-habba-contract-levin