Full Breakdown
$17.6 Million Kennedy Center Dispute Fuels Feud Among Trump Allies
By Drooid · · How we work
The Disputed Transfer
Alina Habba, former Trump attorney, alleges that her husband, Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon, wired $17.6 million to TX-AT, a Texas defense-equipment firm, in May 2025 at the direction of former Kennedy Center director Ric Grenell. Habba says $5.6 million of that sum was intended for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts but never arrived. The New York Times reported that the claim has not been independently verified.
Background of the Parties
- Ric Grenell – former director of the Kennedy Center and Trump-appointed special envoy to Venezuela.
- Alina Habba – former attorney for Donald Trump; married to Turhan Mildon.
- Turhan Mildon – 29-year-old Turkish businessman with interests in Venezuela and a prior pledge of $270,000 to the Kennedy Center after a gala concert, which the Times says was paid only after follow-up inquiries.
Official Statements & Responses
Grenell has issued two written denials. In an email to the Daily Beast he called the allegations “absurd” and demanded proof from Mildon. He also told the newspaper, “I’ve never asked for one cent to be sent somewhere else pretending it was for the Kennedy Center, and I’ve never received any payment from him.” Grenell acknowledged consulting for TX-AT in 2024 but said he had no connection to the company when the disputed transfer occurred.
The White House, through counsel Will Scharf, received the wire-transfer receipt and text messages from Mildon’s lawyer and has asked for documentation, though the Times noted no documents had been received at the time of reporting. A Kennedy Center spokesperson said the institution is reviewing relevant pledges and will share findings with its board.
Data & Statistics
- $17.6 million – total amount alleged to have been transferred to TX-AT.
- $5.6 million – portion Habba says was earmarked for the Kennedy Center.
- $270,000 – Mildon’s pledged donation, paid weeks after a Times inquiry.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I’ve never asked for one cent to be sent somewhere else pretending it was for the Kennedy Center, and I’ve never received any payment from him,” — Ric Grenell, former Kennedy Center director.
The dispute, highlighted by a reported March 17, 2025 photo of Grenell with President Donald Trump at the Kennedy Center and a March 28, 2025 Oval Office meeting between Trump and Habba, underscores a rare internal clash among Trump-aligned figures, with legal and political ramifications still unresolved.
