$5.6 Million for Access to Trump: Turkish Billionaire at the Center of Controversy

Former Kennedy Center executive director Richard Grenell allegedly promised Turkish billionaire Turhan Mildon access to U.S. President Donald Trump in exchange for a $5.6 million donation that, according to reports, never reached the cultural institution. The circumstances surrounding the alleged arrangement are now being examined by the White House Counsel’s Office.

The inquiry was prompted by a statement from Alina Habba, Mildon’s new wife and Trump’s former personal attorney. During a meeting with the president in the Oval Office on October 9, she reportedly said that her husband had not received the promised donation.

According to Axios, in a text message dated May 3, 2025, Grenell allegedly wrote to Mildon: “Once the money hits the company here, I will arrange a donation to the Kennedy Center, and you will be able to attend VIP events and get close to the administration, including the president of the United States.”

Grenell, who previously served as U.S. ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence, has reportedly denied sending the message.

However, a source told the publication that Axios’s account of the message was consistent with the circumstances of the controversy as they understood them.

According to Axios, the proposed donation was allegedly linked to a larger transfer of $17.6 million. Mildon provided the White House with financial documents showing a transfer dated May 29, 2025, to Texas Armament & Technology. However, Axios reported that the sender listed on the transaction was not the billionaire himself but the Ministry of Finance of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Both Axios and The New York Times reported that the arrangement was connected to the Central African country, although neither publication specified the nature of the deal. In 2024, Mildon said he owned limestone quarries as well as copper, cobalt and gold mines.

Habba and Mildon reportedly met at the Kennedy Center in early 2026. They married on September 26.

Habba previously served as Trump’s personal attorney, briefly held a position in the White House and later served as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey.

Grenell and Mildon had also interacted on matters involving Venezuela when Grenell was Trump’s special envoy for relations with the country’s then-president, Nicolás Maduro. Mildon manages state-owned cement plants in Venezuela.

After U.S. forces captured Maduro on January 3, 2026, acting President Delcy Rodríguez terminated Mildon’s contract to manage the plants in June. However, according to The New York Times, Rodríguez suspended the termination last week after learning about the businessman’s relationship with Habba.