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Politics41 outlets ran this3 min read

Trump demanded cut of ex-lawyer's $50 million contract

President reportedly reacted angrily to Alina Habba Mildon's deal with a Venezuelan family.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
Donald Trump ‘erupted’ after he learned that Alina Habba, one of his former lawyers, attained a $50 million contract to work for a Venezuelan billionaire who was later pardoned by the president, according to a report (AFP/Getty)

What this story says

  • Alina Habba Mildon obtained a $50 million contract to work for the Venezuelan billionaire Velutini family.
  • President Donald Trump reacted angrily to the contract, calling it 'not acceptable' and suggesting Habba Mildon donate some of the money to his presidential library.
  • The contract stipulated $10 million annually for four years, plus bonuses, for Habba Mildon to serve as general counsel to Concord Partners.
  • Julio Herrera Velutini, a banker indicted in 2022, was pardoned by Trump in January after pleading guilty to a campaign finance violation.

Who covered it

Left 34%(11)Centre 32%(10)Right 34%(11)

Percentages are shares of the 32 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 9 of the 41 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

76/100

Craft

87/100

Hype

45/100

41 sources · methodology

Thin on the right so far

Only 11 of the 32 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

Alina Habba Mildon secured a $50 million contract to work for the Venezuelan billionaire Velutini family. The agreement provided $10 million per year for four years, plus bonuses, for Habba Mildon to serve as general counsel to Concord Partners, a company established in 2025 by the wife of Julio Herrera Velutini. Herrera Velutini, a banker who was indicted in 2022, received a pardon from President Donald Trump in January after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor campaign finance violation.

President Trump reacted angrily to the contract, calling it "not acceptable" and suggesting that Habba Mildon donate part of the money to his future presidential library or another Trump-affiliated cause. Habba Mildon has denied that her employment was related to securing the pardon, stating that such allegations are false. She also stated on social media that she was never paid to secure a pardon and never met with anyone at the White House or Department of Justice regarding a pardon.

Disagreement on Habba Mildon's role

Sources with knowledge of Habba Mildon's contract suggested to The New York Times that she was hired to help secure the pardon, according to The Independent. Habba Mildon, however, denied any role in obtaining the presidential pardon, stating to The New York Times that "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."

What the coverage left out

No right-rated reports covered this story. The digests from unrated outlets BizToc, Tr724, and Folha de S.Paulo did not mention the specific amount of the contract or Trump's reaction to it. Tr724 mentioned the contract was "over $50 million" and that Trump requested a portion be donated, while Folha de S.Paulo stated Habba "says her legal work had nothing to do with acquittal."

Tags:#DonaldTrump#AlinaHabba#VelutiniFamily#PresidentialPardon#LegalContracts

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 19 times, most recently on 2 Nov 2026, 11:30, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

11 rated outlets

  • Left-rated reports focused on President Trump's anger over the contract and his demand for a portion of the funds. Headlines and opening paragraphs frequently mentioned Trump "erupting" or being "furious" upon learning of the $50 million deal. The Independent's full report stated Trump "erupted" and "raged" to allies, suggesting Habba Mildon should donate money to his presidential library. Lawyers, Guns & Money described the contract as a "bribe" and questioned why Trump would expect tribute. The New Republic's headline stated Trump "Demands a Cut of Alina Habba’s $50 Million Pardon Deal." Joe.My.God. and Raw Story also highlighted Trump's reported anger and his demand for a share of the money, citing The New York Times. Mediaite's headline similarly focused on Trump's reported eruption over the alleged pardon deal.

Centre

10 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated reports highlighted President Trump's statement that the $50 million contract for Alina Habba Mildon was "not acceptable." Reuters, Investing.com, WTVB, RadarOnline, and Political Wire all used variations of this statement in their headlines or opening sentences. RadarOnline reported that Trump told aides and allies he was upset about the contract's size and suggested Habba Mildon give part of it to his presidential library. Political Wire noted Trump "erupted" after learning of the deal, citing The New York Times.

Right

11 rated outlets

  • Both WLTReport and VINnews reported that President Trump publicly condemned former personal lawyer Alina Habba’s multiyear $50 million contract, calling it totally obnoxious and outrageous. Each digest linked the allegation to a New York Times report and noted the contract involved the relatives of Venezuelan billionaire Julio Herrera Velutini, who received a pardon in January.
  • WLTReport’s digest specified that the New York Times story detailed the $50 million agreement with the relatives of the Venezuelan billionaire, while VINnews’s digest reproduced Trump’s quote and identified the contract as multiyear. Neither digest included any response from Habba, the relatives, or additional legal analysis, and no other sources were quoted.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Trump demanded cut of ex-lawyer's $50 million contract?
Of the 32 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 34% are rated left, 32% are rated centre, 34% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 41. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Trump demanded cut of ex-lawyer's $50 million contract left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 32 rated outlets on this story, 34% are rated left, 32% are rated centre, 34% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Trump demanded cut of ex-lawyer's $50 million contract biased?
Trump demanded cut of ex-lawyer's $50 million contract is one event reported by 41 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting Trump demanded cut of ex-lawyer's $50 million contract?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered Trump demanded cut of ex-lawyer's $50 million contract?
41 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What was the value of the contract Alina Habba Mildon secured?
Alina Habba Mildon secured a contract worth $50 million to work for the Venezuelan billionaire Velutini family. The contract was structured as $10 million per year for four years, plus bonuses, for her role as general counsel to Concord Partners.
How did President Trump react to the contract?
President Trump reportedly reacted angrily to the contract, calling it 'not acceptable.' He suggested that Alina Habba Mildon donate a portion of the $50 million to his future presidential library or another Trump-affiliated organization.
Was Alina Habba Mildon's contract related to Julio Herrera Velutini's pardon?
Sources suggested to The New York Times that Habba Mildon was hired to help secure the pardon. However, Habba Mildon has denied this, stating her employment had nothing to do with securing a pardon and that all her work was vetted and disclosed to the Department of Justice.

Read it at the source

41 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

11
Show 3 more

Centre

10
Show 2 more

Right

11
Show 3 more

Not rated

9
Show 1 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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