Trump Derangement Syndrome won out anew as the president’s public rebuke of his former attorney’s alleged eight-figure pardon payday proved insufficient to stop the smears.
Amid the final stretch before the midterm elections, ongoing efforts at negotiating the end of conflicts in Europe and the Middle East and fighting against obstructions to policies meant to correct damages done by his predecessors, President Donald Trump briefly took time out of his schedule for a Mar-a-Lago Halloween party appearance on Saturday.
Breaking away to talk to the press, the chief executive was questioned about reports that his former attorney Alina Mildon (neé Habba) raked in $50 million ahead of a presidential pardon, prompting his assertion, “it was totally obnoxious and outrageous.”
“I thought it was terrible,” began the president when asked about the allegation that Mildon, one-time acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, was paid by Julio Herrera Velutini’s family allegedly in connection with his pardon pertaining to violations of campaign finance law.
.@POTUS: “I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous, and it’s not acceptable — at all.” https://t.co/O5hbpnn4jb
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 1, 2026
“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,” furthered Trump. “You know, it’s one thing for a person to get paid legal fees or whatever — she’s a lawyer. I thought it was totally obnoxious and outrageous and it’s not acceptable. Not acceptable, at all.”
When asked if he expected a donation to his library as the Times alleged, Trump responded, “if anybody wants to make it,” before reiterating he believed Mildon’s alleged action was “unacceptable.”
According to an October report from The New York Times, after the businessman’s daughter, Isabela Herrera, hadn’t obtained a pardon with a $3.5 million contribution to a Trump-aligned super PAC, “the Herrera family hired Alina Habba, who had been one of Mr. Trump’s personal lawyers and at the time was an adviser at the Justice Department.”
“They offered her $10 million a year for four years along with a range of bonuses,” continued the Times. “In total, including bonuses, she was guaranteed more than $50 million over four years, according to the interviews and documents obtained by The New York Times.”
Reacting to the story that contended Mildon inked her deal to become general counsel of Isabela Herrera’s Concord Partners while still serving as acting U.S. attorney, she posted on X, “The Fake News still seems very confused by this so let me be even more clear: I was never paid to secure a pardon. I never met with anyone at the White House or DOJ about a pardon. I’ve never done any work in any capacity whatsoever for a pardon for anyone, period.”
The Fake News still seems very confused by this so let me be even more clear:
I was never paid to secure a pardon.
I never met with anyone at the White House or DOJ about a pardon.
I’ve never done any work in any capacity whatsoever for a pardon for anyone, period.
— Alina Mildon (@AlinaHabba) October 21, 2026
Meanwhile, Trump’s firm rebuke of Mildon found leftists unmoved, as the prevailing reaction was a forced reading between the lines to allege, “Translation, Alina didn’t give him a cut,” and worse.
@leftcoastbabe The mob boss is always supposed to get a taste. Organized Crime 101. She might find herself sleeping with the fishes.
— Brian Hohlen (@BrianHohlen) November 1, 2026
He’s not mad at the grift; he’s mad that he wasn’t included in the grift.
— Robert Brookman (@RBrookman34) November 1, 2026
Trump is mad because he didn’t get a piece of it. That’s all
— Lulu 🪷 (@MirandinaRajada) November 1, 2026
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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