Trump's Personal Lawyer Alina Habba Denies Getting Pardon for Venezuelan Billionaire in $50M Deal

Alina Habba Fires Back at Claim She Got Billionaire Pardoned in $50M Deal Published October 21, 2026 9:48 AM PDT Donald Trump's personal attorney, Alina Habba, is denying a report she had a role in securing a pardon for Venezuelan billionaire Julio Herrera Velutini. Alina fired back on X, writing, "If the New York Times simply went back and looked at their own reporting, they have already credited another capable attorney for what he successfully did without me and took credit for." She added, "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." The New York Times reported Alina began working for a company set up by Velutini's daughter as part of a multimillion-dollar contract. Velutini -- who had been facing felony bribery charges before pleading down to a misdemeanor campaign finance violation -- had his legal team seek a pardon. Then his family reportedly offered Alina -- who was advising for the Department of Justice at the time -- a $50 million deal over 4 years to be general counsel at Concord Partners, a newly formed entity set up by Velutini's daughter, Isabela Herrera. Herrera had also previously made a $3.5 million donation to a pro-Trump super PAC. Here's the thing ... Concord Partners doesn't have a public profile yet ... and its actual business is reportedly unclear. This is where the timeline raises a few eyebrows. The deal was inked and finalized as Habba was acting as a Senior Advisor to Attorney General Pam Bondi. Habba began working at Concord Partners on January 1 ... then weeks later, Velutini got his pardon from President Trump. Habba adamantly denies she played any role in Velutini's pardon. Related articles Donald Trump Pam Bondi Alina Habba President Trump Money TMZ DC Politics News