Alina Habba reacts to request to donate pardon-related fees to Trump library

Alina Habba, a former personal lawyer to Donald Trump, reportedly responded with a “haha” reaction to a text from CBS News asking if she would donate fees from a lucrative contract to Trump’s future presidential library. The reaction was quickly deleted, and Habba declined to comment.

The controversy stems from a reported four-year, $50 million contract Habba signed with Concord Partners, a company tied to the family of Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini. Herrera Velutini, who had been charged by the Biden DOJ in a bribery scheme, received a full presidential pardon from Trump in January 2026, shortly after Habba began her role at Concord.

Trump has reportedly expressed anger over the deal, describing it as “totally obnoxious and outrageous” to aides and allies. He stated that he did not want her to be paid in that manner and suggested she should donate a portion of the funds to his presidential library or another Trump-related entity.