NYT: a billionaire's family gave Alina Habba a $50 million deal weeks before Trump pardoned him
The Times' reconstruction of how a pardon was sought, with the denials from Habba, the Justice Department and the White House.
The New York Times reported on October 20 that the family of Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini hired Alina Habba, Trump's former personal lawyer, as general counsel of Concord Partners, a Florida company set up by his daughter. Herrera had been charged over an alleged scheme to bribe Puerto Rico's governor and in August 2025 pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor campaign-finance violation. According to the Times, the deal guaranteed Habba more than $50 million over four years including bonuses, and was finalized while she was still U.S. attorney in New Jersey. She started on January 1, 2026; weeks later Trump granted Herrera a full and unconditional pardon. The Times reports his daughter had given $3.5 million to a super PAC tied to Trump.
Habba said any suggestion her job had to do with securing a pardon is false. The Justice Department said she "did not speak to anyone about a pardon," and a White House official said she "had nothing to do with the pardon."
Reporting
The New York Times (via GV Wire) ↗-
Federal pardons in the United States
After exploring A Billionaire Wanted a Trump Pardon. His Family Gave Alina Habba a $50 Million Deal., how the pardon power works is laid out in Federal pardons in the United States.
Explains that federal pardons are granted only by the president under the Constitution's power to grant reprieves and pardons, covering all federal offenses except impeachment.
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