💸 Alina Habba Mildon fired from $50M Concord deal, NYT reports

A $50M contract that Donald Trump called 'obnoxious and outrageous' is over. The New York Times reported on Tuesday, Nov 10 (first reported around 6:40 AM ET), that Concord Partners ended Alina Habba Mildon's employment in a letter dated Nov 4, citing 'failure to perform duties', according to Mediaite's and the Daily Mail's accounts of the Times report.

The Daily Mail says Concord is owned by the daughter of Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini, and that Habba Mildon signed on for four years as general counsel, formally starting on January 1. The sum is large; the clause that undoes it is the one about the money she keeps.

Who says what

Mediaite, relaying the Times, says the termination rests on 'a person familiar with the situation' and the Nov 4 letter, which the Times reviewed. That person told the Times her priorities 'shifted' after she began dating Turhan Mildon, now her husband, according to Mediaite.

On the money, the two outlets differ in framing. Mediaite says she reportedly keeps an $8M bonus plus $6.5M already paid. The Daily Mail says she retains nearly $14.5M already made from Concord. The two figures add up to the same total, though neither report publishes the contract itself.

"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."

Donald Trump, speaking to Fox News at the Mar-a-Lago Halloween party, as quoted by Mediaite

The Daily Mail, citing the Times, says Trump told at least one ally the Herrera family should not pay the rest of the contract. It adds that aides and allies said he wanted part of the money donated to his future presidential library or another Trump-related entity. Those details come from the Times via the Daily Mail only. Mediaite adds that when CBS News asked about a possible donation, Habba Mildon replied by text 'haha' and then quickly deleted it.

The timeline against the pardon

Mediaite reports that Herrera Velutini reached a plea deal in August 2025 over an alleged 2022 attempt to bribe the governor of Puerto Rico, pleading guilty to one misdemeanor campaign finance violation. It says his family then reportedly worked on a pardon through Habba Mildon and her ties to Trump, and that she received the contract just weeks before the pardon. The Daily Mail dates the pardon to January 2026. No report read here says the hiring and the pardon were formally linked, and no response from the Herrera family on that point was found.

The response

The Daily Mail says Concord has yet to comment on the firing, and that it contacted Mildon's firm and Habba for comment; its report carries no reply. No public response from Habba Mildon was found in the reports read. The Daily Mail also says an ally of hers claims she will pursue legal action against the Herrera family.

What happens next

None of the reports read states a hearing date, deadline or filing. Whether she sues, whether Concord disputes the reported payouts, and whether Trump's wish for a donation goes anywhere are all unknown.

Backstory

Habba resigned as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey on Dec 8, 2025, after a federal appeals court ruled she had been serving unlawfully, ABC News reported. ABC also noted that an appeals court had upheld a $1M penalty against Habba and Trump over a frivolous lawsuit against James Comey and Hillary Clinton. The BBC adds that she represented Trump at his New York hush-money trial, where he was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records; he has appealed.

On pardons, NBC News reported in May 2025 on a 'burgeoning pardon economy', citing two people who knew of a client's $5M offer to lobbyists. The White House told NBC that pardon decisions are made solely by Trump.

As of Nov 11, 2:50 AM ET, what is confirmed is that Trump publicly called the deal 'obnoxious and outrageous' and that the New York Times reported a Nov 4 termination letter, as relayed by Mediaite and the Daily Mail. What is pending is any comment from Concord or Habba Mildon, the exact money she keeps, and whether she takes legal action.