'You'll get close to the administration, even to POTUS': The text message that placed Grenell at center of White House investigation into alleged influence peddling
Alina Habba, a former adviser who served as Trump's legal spokesperson, accused Grenell before the president of orchestrating a "pay-for-access" scheme. Grenell denies sending the message and calls the accusations "absurd."
The internal strife in President Donald Trump's inner circle has a new piece in the center of the puzzle: a compromising text message.
On Monday, Axios published an exclusive report with new details about the dispute between Ric Grenell and Alina Habba, including a text message dated May 3, 2025, the contents of which are being analyzed by the legal counsel of the White House as key evidence.
In the message, the sender writes the following to Habba's husband, Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon: "Once the money comes to the company here, I will arrange the donation to Kennedy Centre [sic], and you’ll be joining the VIP events and get close with the administration, even with POTUS."
The text was reportedly sent from Grenell's number, and the message includes the same photo that appears on his business card. Grenell, however, categorically denies having sent it, arguing that it's impossible for him to have written it because the word "Center" is spelled "Centre," in British English, not American English.
A scheme involving millions, the Congo and Venezuela
According to Axios, the text is part of a broader complaint that Habba took directly to the Oval Office in October. The central allegation is that Grenell convinced Mildon to include a donation to the Kennedy Center — an institution Grenell headed at the time — as part of a $17.6 million transfer linked to a contract with a Houston-based private defense contractor called Texas Armament & Technology (TXAT).
What further complicates the case is the alleged source of the money. According to a White House official quoted by Axios, the $17.6 million did not come from Mildon's personal account but from the Congolese Ministry of Finance in Kinshasa, a city where Mildon has business interests.
"We’re trying to find out whose money this is," the official told the outlet.
The same text also includes a reference to Venezuela. "We need to make you the 'American face' down in V," the sender reportedly wrote — a significant mention, since Grenell was simultaneously serving as Trump's special envoy to Venezuela and had shared interests with Mildon in that country.
The allegation and its inconsistencies
According to the account, Habba burst into the White House on Oct. 9, visibly agitated. According to Axios sources, she exclaimed to those present: "Ric stole the money!" However, her account was met with skepticism from the start, partly because the figures she cited were inconsistent. First she mentioned $17 million, then lowered the figure to $5.6 million.
"It’s been hard keeping track of this because the numbers kept changing," an official told the outlet.
The source also mentioned that Habba "didn’t have all her stuff in order. She went in there half-cocked without all the facts yelling about Grenell stealing. And the facts keep changing."
"That doesn’t mean Ric is out of the woods. This looks really shady," the official also commented.
Despite that, there is some credibility to the allegation, at least for investigators, as sources at the Kennedy Center confirmed to the White House that Mildon was a regular presence at the institution's exclusive events, including appearances in the vice president's box.
"Why so much access if the contribution was never paid?" asked an official quoted by Axios.
Grenell denies everything
Grenell has called the allegations "absurd" in all of his public appearances. "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 at all," he said. As for the text, his position is that the use of British English proves that someone else wrote it.
White House legal counsel Will Scharf continues to gather evidence. According to Axios, Mildon's lawyers turned over documentation on Friday, including the text, at least one financial record, and other correspondence. Scharf plans to verify the message's digital fingerprint before drawing any conclusions.
For now, the White House is remaining cautious, although, privately, it has acknowledged that the situation looks very bad.
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