Habba Grenell Feud: White House Probes $5.6M Donation

The habba grenell feud erupted into the open this week after Alina Habba, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, accused former Kennedy Center chief Ric Grenell of failing to deposit a $5.6 million donation from her billionaire husband — and the White House counsel is now reviewing the claim.

Habba raised the allegations directly with Trump in the Oval Office late last week, according to reports first published by Axios and confirmed to the New York Post by a White House official. Trump referred the matter to White House Counsel Will Scharf for further examination.

The Allegation

At the center of the dispute is a donation from Habba’s husband, Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon, whom she married last month. Habba told Trump that Grenell — who ran the Kennedy Center as executive director until March — never deposited $5.6 million Mildon intended for the performing arts venue.

An administration official told the Post that Grenell convinced Mildon in early 2025 to include the Kennedy Center donation inside a lump-sum $17.6 million wire transfer tied to a business deal the two were partnering on. The official did not know which company ultimately received the funds.

Grenell Denies It; White House Split

Grenell has flatly denied the accusations, calling them absurd and a lie. He said he never asked for money to be routed anywhere under the pretense it was for the Kennedy Center and never received any payment from Mildon.

The claims have divided the White House. One official told the Post they were “very skeptical” the allegations are true, and three sources otherwise critical of Grenell said they doubt Habba’s account. A former Kennedy Center employee who handled donations recalled only a $270,000 pledge — which was paid — and no multimillion-dollar contribution.

The rift also carries personal fallout: Grenell was once friendly with both Habba and Mildon and was notably absent from their wedding. The dispute traces back to overlapping business interests tied to Venezuela, where Grenell served as Trump’s special envoy and Mildon held business ties.

Trump has pushed an ambitious overhaul of the Kennedy Center, seeking to renovate the venue and attach his name to it — making any hint of missing donations a politically charged problem.

Source: The New York Times