Trump turns on his Iraqi lawyer over $50 million
Trump turns on his Iraqi lawyer over $50 million
2026-11-01
Shafaq News – Follow-up
US President Donald Trump criticized his former advisor, Iraqi-born lawyer Alina Habba Meldon, for securing a $50 million contract with a company linked to the family of a Venezuelan banker, describing the move as “provocative and unacceptable,” despite his previous repeated praise of her.
Speaking to reporters Saturday evening at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trump said that it was unacceptable for Habba to receive the contract while working at the U.S. Department of Justice, adding: “I think it was totally outrageous and infuriating, and unacceptable… totally unacceptable.”
He explained that he had informed his former lawyer that he did not want her to receive any money, describing the incident as “horrible”.
According to the New York Times, the family of Julio Herrera Velotini, a Venezuelan banker who faced criminal bribery charges in the United States before entering into a plea agreement in August 2025, guaranteed Habba a contract worth more than $50 million over four years.
According to the newspaper, the agreement stipulates a payment of $10 million annually, in addition to extra bonuses. Habba was serving as the acting US Attorney General in New Jersey when she signed the contract with Concord Partners, a company owned by the Herrera family, days after the company was registered in late October 2025.
By the time she started working with the Herrera family, a court had disqualified Habba from serving as U.S. Attorney General. She resigned on December 8 and was appointed on the same day as Senior Advisor to the Attorney General, a position she still held when she started working with Concord on January 1.
On January 15, 2026, Trump issued a presidential pardon for Herrera, according to the website of the US Department of Justice. Habba denied last week that she received any money in exchange for the pardon, stressing that she did not meet with anyone at the White House or the Department of Justice about it, and did not do any work related to obtaining a pardon for anyone.
Trump has repeatedly praised Habba, an American lawyer of Iraqi origin, describing her as “steadfast in her loyalty and unparalleled in her will,” and commending her for standing by him during his trials and legal battles, praising her style in confronting his critics through the media, and describing her as a “fierce” personality.
shafaq.com
