White House Investigates Claim of Missing $5.6 Million Kennedy Center Donation
Alina Habba alleges Ric Grenell failed to deposit funds from her husband, prompting a probe.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Axios: Shtëpia e Bardhë po heton pretendimin se një donacion prej gati 6 milionë dollarësh humbi gjatë drejtimit të ‘Kennedy Center’ nga Richard Grenell
Photograph: Telegrafi (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Alina Habba, Donald Trump's former lawyer, has accused Ric Grenell of failing to deposit a $5.6 million donation from her husband, Turhan Mildon, to the Kennedy Center.
- Axios reported the allegations, which were confirmed by four senior administration officials and three people familiar with the matter.
- Ric Grenell has denied the claims, calling them 'absurd' and demanding proof.
- The White House Counsel's office has launched an investigation into the matter.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 18 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 17 of the 35 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
50/100
Craft
45/100
Hype
65/100
35 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 4 of the 18 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, former personal attorney to Donald Trump, has alleged that Ric Grenell, the former executive director of the Kennedy Center, failed to deposit a $5.6 million donation made by her husband, Turhan Mildon. Habba reportedly informed Trump of the claim in the Oval Office. The White House Counsel's office is now investigating the allegations.
Axios reported on the allegations, stating that four senior administration officials and three individuals familiar with the situation confirmed the claims. Ric Grenell has publicly denied the accusations, describing them as 'absurd' and challenging Habba to provide proof.
Conflicting accounts of the donation
According to Axios, Habba initially stated the total contribution was $17 million, but later clarified it was $5.6 million after speaking with her husband. A former Kennedy Center employee told Axios that their records only showed a $270,000 pledge from Mildon, which was later paid. Habba's husband, Turhan Mildon, reportedly did not verify if the larger sum was deposited, believing it was recorded due to his VIP donor status.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mention the specific details of the business dealings between Ric Grenell and Turhan Mildon in Venezuela, which were reported by the New York Post and Telegrafi. The left-rated reports also do not include the detail that lawyers for Habba's husband have provided documentation to the White House counsel's office, as stated in the New York Post.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 16 Oct 2026, 07:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.

Royal pictured passed out in London street with 3-year-old after coke binge
New York Post — embedded from source
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
10 rated outlets
- Left-rated reports highlighted the conflict within the Trump camp, often using phrases like "MAGA blood feud" (Joe.My.God., Alternet, Mediaite) and "fierce clash" (enikos.gr, dnews.gr). The focus was on the internal strife and the White House investigation into the allegations against Grenell. Several reports mentioned the specific sum of $5.6 million and identified Alina Habba as Trump's former lawyer and Ric Grenell as the former head of the Kennedy Center.
Centre
4 rated outlets
- All four centre outlets reported that President Donald Trump ordered a review of allegations that a multimillion‑dollar donation to the Kennedy Center was missing. Each digest named former Kennedy Center director Ric Grenell and former personal lawyer Alina Habba as central figures in the claim.
- Political Wire’s digest said the White House counsel was tasked with examining the explosive allegations. Reality Tea highlighted an internal feud, noting Habba’s accusation against Grenell. Digital Music News focused on the White House investigation of Grenell’s alleged failure to deposit the funds. Daily Mail described Trump’s furious phone call with Habba.
- None of the centre digests include a cost estimate for the alleged missing donation, nor do they provide a response from the Kennedy Center itself. The reports also omit any detail about the donor’s identity or the intended use of the funds.
Right
4 rated outlets
- The right-rated report from the New York Post detailed the feud between Trump allies Alina Habba and Ric Grenell, identifying Habba as Trump's "former personal attorney" and "top federal prosecutor in New Jersey." It noted the $5.6 million figure and the White House investigation. The report also included scepticism from administration officials regarding the veracity of Habba's claims and mentioned that lawyers for Mildon had provided documentation to the White House counsel's office.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover White House Investigates Claim of Missing $5.6 Million Kennedy Center…?
- Of the 18 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 56% are rated left, 22% are rated centre, 22% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 35. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is White House Investigates Claim of Missing $5.6 Million Kennedy Center… left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 18 rated outlets on this story, 56% are rated left, 22% are rated centre, 22% 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 White House Investigates Claim of Missing $5.6 Million Kennedy Center… biased?
- White House Investigates Claim of Missing $5.6 Million Kennedy Center Donation is one event reported by 35 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 White House Investigates Claim of Missing $5.6 Million Kennedy Center…?
- 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 White House Investigates Claim of Missing $5.6 Million Kennedy Center…?
- 35 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 is Alina Habba accusing Ric Grenell of?
- Alina Habba, Donald Trump's former lawyer, is accusing Ric Grenell, the former executive director of the Kennedy Center, of failing to deposit a $5.6 million donation from her husband, Turhan Mildon, to the center. She reported this to President Trump, who has ordered an investigation.
- What is Ric Grenell's response to the allegations?
- Ric Grenell has denied the allegations made by Alina Habba, calling them 'absurd'. He has publicly stated that he never asked for any funds to be diverted and has challenged Habba to provide proof for her claims.
- What evidence does the White House have?
- The White House Counsel's office is investigating the claims. A former Kennedy Center employee stated that records only showed a $270,000 pledge from Turhan Mildon that was later paid. Lawyers for Mildon have reportedly provided documentation to the White House counsel's office.
Read it at the source
35 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
10- Knives Out! Habba versus Grenell and Zampolli versus Landau and Guilfoyle versus Everyone and Everyone versus Wiles (opens emptywheel in a new tab)
emptywheel — is emptywheel biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Purported Kennedy Center Donation Sparks Intra-MAGA Feud, Maryland Congressman Threatens to Have Student Journalist Arrested, and Rosslyn…Has History? (opens Washingtonian in a new tab)
Washingtonian — is Washingtonian biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Axios: White House Investigating Claim that Nearly $6 Million in Donations Were Lost During Richard Grenell's Tenure at the Kennedy Center (opens Telegrafi in a new tab)
- White House's bold new anti-corruption agenda enters second day (opens Lawyers, Guns & Money in a new tab)
Lawyers, Guns & Money — is Lawyers, Guns & Money biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Axios: “MAGA Blood Feud” Has Ensued Over Claim Of Missing 2025 $6 Million Donation To Kennedy Center (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God. — is Joe.My.God. biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Not Breaking: MAGA Were Using the Kennedy Center as a Personal Piggy Bank (opens Daily Kos in a new tab)
Daily Kos — is Daily Kos biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Trumpworld erupts with 'MAGA blood feud' over missing money (opens Alternet in a new tab)
- Trump demands probe as MAGA allies clash over 'missing' Kennedy Center cash: report (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
Centre
4- Trump's furious phone call over missing $5.6m (opens dailymail.com in a new tab)
dailymail.com — is dailymail.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The Kennedy Center and the Case of the Missing $6M Donation (opens Digital Music News in a new tab)
Digital Music News — is Digital Music News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Donald Trump's Inner Circle Erupts Into Nasty $5.6 Million Feud (opens Reality Tea in a new tab)
Reality Tea — is Reality Tea biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump Probes Claims of Missing Kennedy Center Money (opens Political Wire in a new tab)
Political Wire — is Political Wire biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
4- WH Investigating Ex-Kennedy Center Head Over Reportedly Missing $5.6 Million Donation - Had Previously Fired Western Journal Founder Over His Faith (opens The Western Journal in a new tab)
The Western Journal — is The Western Journal biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Internal War in Trump's Environment: Alina Habba Accuses Ric Grenell of Not Depositing an Alleged Donation of Nearly $6 Million to the Kennedy Center (opens voz.us in a new tab)
- Former Trump Lawyer Alina Habba Accuses Former Kennedy Center Director Ric Grenell Of Misplacing $5.6 Million Donation (opens WLTReport in a new tab)
- White House investigating Alina Habba’s claim that $6 million donation went missing under Ric Grenell’s leadership at Kennedy Center (opens New York Post in a new tab)
New York Post — is New York Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
17- Team Trump starts forming a circular firing squad (opens Attention to the Unseen in a new tab)
Attention to the Unseen — is Attention to the Unseen biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- The White House Investigates Whether Richard Grenell Diverted Nearly $6 Million Donation to the Kennedy Center (opens EL NACIONAL in a new tab)
EL NACIONAL — is EL NACIONAL biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Richard Grenell at the Center of Accusations over the Disappearance of $5.6 Million for the Kennedy Center/ Media: President Donald Trump Orders the Launch of Investigations (opens Gazeta Shqiptare Online in a new tab)
Gazeta Shqiptare Online — is Gazeta Shqiptare Online biased? Our profile of this outlet
- "Civil War" in Trump Circle After Allegations of Missing Donation of Millions to the Kennedy Center (opens thepressroom.gr in a new tab)
thepressroom.gr — is thepressroom.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- New Scandal in Trump's "Backyard": The Complaint About the "Lost" Donation of $5.6 Million (opens ieidiseis.gr in a new tab)
ieidiseis.gr — is ieidiseis.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Richard Grenell in Trouble: Trump Opened an Investigation After a Million Dollar Donation "Disappeared" at the Center He Led (opens Klix in a new tab)
- Axios: Shtëpia e Bardhë po heton pretendimin se donacioni prej gati 6 milionë dollarësh humbi gjatë drejtimit të “Kennedy Center” nga Grenelli - Lajmet e fundit (opens Zëri in a new tab)
- White House Launches Investigation Into Richard Grenell over $5.6 Million Kennedy Center Donation (opens albeu.com in a new tab)
Show 9 more
- White House Investigating Allegations of Missing Millions Intended for Kennedy Center (opens Dnevnik in a new tab)
- Panic in the White House over "Disappeared" $5.6 Million - The Conflict Between Hamba and Grenell Reaches Its Peak (opens alfavita.gr in a new tab)
alfavita.gr — is alfavita.gr biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Turhan Mildon's Donation Has Thrown the White House Into Turmoil; Where Is the $6 Million? (opens Tr724 in a new tab)
- Axios: "Bombshell" for Trump with Allegations of "Disappearing" $5.6 Million (opens Newsit.gr in a new tab)
- White House Storm Over $5.6 Million 'Missing' — Fierce Clash in Trump Camp (opens enikos.gr in a new tab)
- "Where Did the $5.6 Million Go?" - Uproar in the White House, Top-Level Conflict in the Trump Camp (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- Panic in the White House: Reports of $5.6 Million "Disappearing" - Trump and the Background (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- Turkish Businesswoman Who Married Trump's Former Lawyer Has Millions of Dollars in Donations Missing: White House Investigates - Serbestiyet (opens serbestiyet.com in a new tab)
serbestiyet.com — is serbestiyet.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- White House Scandal: Investigation Into "Missing" $5.6 Million - Fierce "Civil War" in Trump's Entourage (opens dnews.gr in a new tab)
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