Congo link in the White House donation feud

The record

A dispute between US President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Alina Habba Mildon and his special envoy Richard Grenell has raised questions about the source of a payment to a defence company and the fate of money allegedly earmarked for the Kennedy Center. According to Axios, Trump instructed the White House Counsel’s Office to examine the allegations.

At the centre of the dispute is Habba’s husband, Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon. Habba maintains that part of the money her husband sent as a commercial payment was supposed to be passed on to the Kennedy Center as a donation, but never reached the institution.

A $17.6 million payment and a $5.6 million allegation

According to NYT findings cited in TheLedgers’ bulletin, the transfer to TX-AT in May 2025 totalled $17.6 million. In Habba’s account, $5.6 million of that sum was earmarked for the Kennedy Center. The two figures refer to different things: one is the total payment to the company’s account; the other is the alleged donation component within that payment.

Reporting on the NYT’s 17 October article, Mediaite wrote that the money came from an account linked to the Congolese government. According to TheLedgers’ bulletin, the sender’s name was redacted in the documents initially presented to the White House. An account’s connection to the government does not, on its own, establish the legal owner of the money or the contract under which it was paid.

Grenell’s denial

Grenell says he received no payment from Mildon and never asked for money intended for the Kennedy Center to be sent elsewhere. According to the NYT reporting cited in the bulletin, Grenell acknowledged advising TX-AT in 2024, but said he had no relationship with the company at the time of the transfer.

Habba and Mildon, meanwhile, declined to comment through their representatives in Axios’s 14 October report. The bulletin states that Mildon’s lawyer submitted a bank transfer receipt and message records to the White House that same evening. The messages have not been independently authenticated.

Why the Congo connection matters

Milvest, the construction arm of Miller Holding, which Mildon heads, has carried out public projects in the Congo. These activities provide context for the transfer. TheLedgers’ bulletin lists the Kinshasa Finance Center, Kinshasa Arena and a drone-base project in Kisangani among them. The sources reviewed do not provide enough information to establish a direct connection between these projects and the payment to TX-AT.

According to Mediaite’s account of the NYT report, Mildon confirmed that he advises Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Tshisekedi and holds a diplomatic passport issued by the country.

Questions that remain unanswered

What contract underpinned the $17.6 million payment? Who owned the sending account? Was there a written commitment concerning the $5.6 million allegedly earmarked for the Kennedy Center? What product or service did TX-AT provide in return?

Until these questions are answered, the disputed payment cannot itself be treated as proof of wrongdoing. The allegations reported here are not presented as established judicial findings; Grenell’s denial remains a central part of the account.

Based on reporting from: The Ledgers · Bulletin / Special Report · 18 October 2026; Axios · 14 October 2026; Mediaite · 17 October 2026 · Account of NYT reporting; The New York Times · 17 October 2026 · Original report cited by Mediaite; White House Historical Association · Official Trump portrait · Daniel Torok.