Trump turns against his lawyer of Iraqi origin: "What she did is provocative"

After previously showering her with praise, former U.S. President Donald Trump has turned against his former legal advisor, Alina Habba, describing her actions as "outrageous and unacceptable."

In remarks to the press on Saturday evening, Trump deemed it "unacceptable" that Habba—who served as one of his former lawyers—secured a $50 million contract for herself while working within the U.S. Department of Justice. Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, he stated: "I think it was outrageous, absolutely infuriating, and unacceptable—completely unacceptable." This follows reports that the family of Julio Herrera Velutini—a Venezuelan banker who faced criminal bribery charges in the United States before reaching a plea agreement in August 2025—provided Habba, who is of Iraqi descent, with more than $50 million over a four-year period, according to *The New York Times*.

The agreement reportedly stipulated an annual payment of $10 million, plus bonuses. At the time she signed the contract with Concord Partners—a firm affiliated with the Herrera family—Habba was serving as an acting U.S. Attorney in New Jersey. The contract was signed just days after the company was registered in late October 2025. By the time she began working for the Herrera family, Trump had issued a pardon for Herrera on January 15, 2026, according to the U.S. Department of Justice website. In contrast, Haba Mildon asserted last week that she had never received any money in exchange for a presidential pardon, nor had she met with anyone at the White House or the Department of Justice regarding such a pardon; furthermore, she stated that she had not performed any work related to securing a pardon for anyone. Previously, a court had disqualified her from serving as a U.S. Attorney.

She resigned on December 8 and was appointed that same day as a senior advisor to the Attorney General—a position she still held when she began working for the Concord firm on January 1, according to the newspaper.