Trump pardons a businessman earlier this year. His own lawyer allegedly got a $50 million deal from the man’s family: ‘I don’t want her paid’

President Donald Trump spoke with reporters at a Halloween gathering at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday night. He addressed a New York Times report from two days earlier about his former attorney Alina Habba Mildon. The report described an arrangement with the family of a businessman Trump later pardoned.

A reporter began asking about Habba Mildon’s reported $50 million figure. Trump interrupted and said the situation was terrible. He explained that he had told her he did not want her paid that way.

According to Mediaite, he said someone had spoken with the people involved and that she had used her relationship with him. Trump added that lawyers can receive normal legal fees, but he viewed this case as different. He called the amount far too much.

Background on the businessman and the reported arrangement

Julio Herrera Velutini is a Venezuelan-Italian businessman. In August 2025, he entered a plea deal after facing accusations that he tried to bribe the governor of Puerto Rico in 2022. He pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor campaign finance violation. His family then worked to secure a pardon, according to the Times.

The paper reported that the family arranged for Habba Mildon to join a law firm that had been registered in 2025. They offered her $10 million a year for four years plus a range of bonuses. “In total, including bonuses, she was guaranteed more than $50 million over four years, according to interviews and documents obtained by the Times,” the report stated.

Trump, whose pardons have drawn scrutiny before, issued a pardon for Herrera earlier this year. The pardon came shortly after the family set up the law firm role for Habba Mildon, the Times reported. The paper said Trump became angry in October when he learned about the deal and had told aides that she should donate a portion of the money to his future presidential library.

At the Saturday event, Trump told reporters, “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.” He continued, “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.”

When a reporter asked whether he expected Habba Mildon to donate to the library, Trump said, “No, not her. I expect – maybe the people, I don’t know if anybody wants to make it. But it’s unacceptable what she did. Unacceptable.” He repeated that the arrangement was not acceptable.

There has been bipartisan concern over how Trump has exercised his pardon power during his second term. Since returning to office in 2025, he has granted clemency to more than 1,700 people.