Trump orders White House to investigate alleged missing $5.6 million in Kennedy Center donations – Report | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump has ordered a White House adviser to investigate allegations that former Trump adviser Ric Grenell failed to deposit a multimillion-dollar donation to the Kennedy Center from the billionaire husband of former Trump lawyer Alina Habba, Axios reported.
The allegation sparked a bitter feud between Habba and Grenell, two former Trump allies.
The contribution in question is nearly $5.6 million, White House sources told reporters, citing what Habba reportedly told Trump and administration officials. Grenell reportedly denied the allegations, calling them “absurd” and “lies.”
A senior administration official cautioned that the claims remain unverified and could stem from a misunderstanding. However, another official told Axios that if the money is missing, it will pose a serious problem.
What is Rick Grenell’s charge?
According to reports that cited sources, Habba told Trump and White House staff that Grenell convinced her husband, Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon, to include a multimillion-dollar donation to the Kennedy Center in a larger payment related to a trade deal involving a U.S. company.
The alleged arrangement dates back to the spring of 2025, when Grenell served as Trump’s special envoy and advocated for normalization of US relations with Venezuela under then-President Nicolas Maduro.
Two sources told Axios that the Kennedy Center’s contribution was reportedly included in the $17.6 million lump sum payment for the business deal.
Habba initially described the disputed donation as $17 million, Axios reported, citing sources. And after learning more about the transaction from her husband, she reportedly identified the amount in question as $5.6 million.
Habba’s lawyers plan to provide the White House with documentation supporting the allegations, Axios reported. The store said it had reviewed documents related to the claims.
The allegations have not been proven, and the White House has not publicly confirmed that any money was embezzled.
What do Kennedy Center records show?
According to Axios, there was no record in the Kennedy Center’s accounts that Mildon contributed nearly $5.6 million.
Kennedy Center staff reportedly searched late last year for the contribution, which was said to be worth about $6 million, but were unable to find it, Axios reported, citing an official.
But Lisa Dale, who managed the institution’s finances at the time, said her records only show a $270,000 pledged donation tied to Mildon.
“There was nothing about $6 million,” Dale told Axios, adding that she would have known about a contribution of that size.
Mildon paid an outstanding $270,000 bond to the Kennedy Center on Tuesday, according to Axios.
The payment does not specify whether the separately alleged $5.6 million transaction took place or where the money may have gone.
How did Grenell respond?
Grenell strongly denied Habba’s allegations, saying he never asked for the money to be sent elsewhere under the pretense that it was intended for the Kennedy Center.
“Absurd. I never asked for one cent to be sent anywhere else and I pretended it was for the Kennedy Center and I never received any payment from it,” Grenell told Axios.
He called on Habba and her husband to provide evidence for their claims, calling them baseless allegations.
The denials come as the dispute threatens to widen divisions among senior officials in Trump’s inner circle.
Grenell previously served as the US ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence, while Habba was Trump’s personal lawyer and briefly served as US attorney in New Jersey during his current term.
What is the White House investigating?
A White House official has requested documents and evidence supporting the allegations, a White House official told Axios.
“None have been received yet,” the official said.
A senior civil service official stressed that the allegations had not been verified and warned that the dispute may reflect a misunderstanding.
Trump is nevertheless concerned by the claims, according to administration sources cited by Axios. The president has a personal interest in the Kennedy Center, which has faced controversy over his efforts to add his name to the institution and fundraising difficulties.
Axios reported that people familiar with Trump’s thinking say he particularly disapproves of individuals who invoke his name or abuse the positions he has entrusted to them.
The White House investigation will need to determine whether the alleged donation was solicited, how the payment was structured and whether any money intended for the Kennedy Center was diverted.
What is the connection with Venezuela?
The dispute is rooted in competing interests surrounding U.S. policy toward Venezuela, Axios reported.
In early 2025, Grenell, acting as Trump’s special envoy, pushed for normalization of relations with Maduro. Mildon, a Turkish national with significant business interests in Venezuela, faced the potential fallout from Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s tougher approach to the Venezuelan government.
According to sources cited by Axios, Grenell and Mildon developed a friendship over their overlapping interests in Venezuela.
The relationship reportedly soured after Grenell lost an internal administration power struggle with Rubio. The dispute culminated in the U.S. seizure of Maduro on Jan. 3 and his transfer to New York to face narcotics charges, Axios reported.
The fallout also affected Mildon’s Venezuelan business interests. The New York Times reported that Maduro’s successor, Delcy Rodriguez, revoked one of Mildon’s company contracts to run state cement plants in June before reversing the decision after learning of his relationship with Habba.
A source familiar with the matter told Axios that the original appeal was prompted in part by the US government.
In this context, Habba reportedly discovered that her husband’s alleged donation at the Kennedy Center could not be traced. Last Friday, she presented the matter directly to Trump at the White House.
Why the dispute is important to Trump
The allegations pit two prominent figures in Trump’s inner circle in a dispute over a significant sum of money tied to an institution the president considers personally important.
The allegations come as the Kennedy Center remains a source of controversy for Trump, including his push to add his name to the venue and questions related to its fundraising.
So far, the central questions remain unresolved: whether the $5.6 million donation was actually arranged, whether the money was transferred as claimed, and whether any funds intended for the Kennedy Center were lost.
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