A furious Donald Trump called close ally Richard Grenell from the Oval Office to confront him about scathing new allegations about his apparent mismanagement of Kennedy Center money, the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal.
asserted
Mail → call → money
The president erupted with fury when Alina Habba, his former personal lawyer, sat across from him in the Oval Office last Friday and laid out the allegations, according to three White House sources familiar with the meeting.
uncertain
Habba → erupt → meeting
In the meeting, Habba told Trump that Grenell, whom the president tapped to lead the Kennedy Center at the start of his second term, allegedly failed to pass on a $5.6 million Kennedy Center donation from her new husband, 29-year-old Turkish billionaire Turhan Mildon.
uncertain
president → tell → husband
Trump was 'pretty worked up' as Habba laid out her case, one of the White House officials said, and demanded answers.
asserted
one → work → answers
The president's anger during the Oval Office meeting was less focused on the accusation being aired than on getting to the truth, that official said.
asserted
official → air → truth
White House counsel Will Scharf and Trump's personal secretary Natalie Harp were also in the room as Habba made her allegations, the sources said.
asserted
sources → make → allegations
After Habba laid out her grievances, Trump turned to Scharf with a direct order.
asserted
Trump → lay → order
'Take this seriously, figure it out, and come back to me ASAP,' the president said, according to the three sources' accounts of the meeting.
uncertain
president → take → meeting
Trump was so shocked by the allegations against his former intelligence chief that he called Grenell directly during the meeting to demand answers, a source familiar with the call told the Daily Mail.
asserted
source → shock → Mail
Alina Habba, Trump's former personal lawyer, sat across from him in the Oval Office last Friday and laid out the allegations against Grenell
A furious Trump has ordered an investigation into his close ally Richard Grenell
Grenell, 60, ran the Kennedy Center from February 2025 until he stepped down in March after a tumultuous tenure
Grenell denied any wrongdoing to the president on the call, and he and Habba did not speak to each other, the source said.
'
asserted
source → sit → other
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,' Grenell said in a statement to the Daily Mail.
asserted
Grenell → ask → Mail
'Make [Mildon] give proof to what he is claiming he gave,' he added.
asserted
he → make → what
When asked, Grenell would not comment on his conversation with Trump.
asserted
Grenell → ask → Trump
Mildon did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Mail.
asserted
Mildon → respond → Mail
Grenell, 60, ran the Kennedy Center from February 2025 until he stepped down in March after a tumultuous tenure.
asserted
he → run → tenure
Habba specifically accused Grenell of persuading Mildon in spring 2025 to fold a $5.6 million donation to the center into a $17.6 million payment for a business deal involving a US company, and claimed that the money never reached the center, Axios first reported.
asserted
Axios → accuse → center
Her lawyers have documentation, reviewed by Axios, that they say shows Grenell solicited a Kennedy Center donation from Mildon to go to a private company in spring 2025, the outlet reported.
asserted
outlet → have → spring
It is not clear what the business deal was for, and Axios described it only as involving a US company.
asserted
Axios → describe → company
Habba married her mustachioed Turkish businessman Mildon in a glittering Waldorf Astoria wedding last month
The loved-up couple were spotted arriving at a ritzy eatery in Palm Beach, Florida last month before their wedding
Scharf is now running the internal inquiry out of the counsel's office
Kennedy Center records show no donation from Mildon anywhere near that size, only a $270,000 pledge he still owed and paid this week on Tuesday.
asserted
he → marry → Tuesday
Mildon never checked whether the money had arrived, believing it had because he was treated as a VIP at the center, according to Axios.
uncertain
he → check → Axios
The Daily Mail has contacted the Kennedy Center for comment.
asserted
Mail → contact → comment
Habba declined to comment to the Daily Mail.
asserted
Habba → decline → Mail
Trump directed Habba to turn every piece of evidence over to Scharf.
asserted
Trump → direct → Scharf
By Wednesday afternoon, Mildon's lawyers had delivered text message evidence against Grenell to the White House Counsel's Office, sources say.
asserted
sources → deliver → Office
The president gave no hard deadline but is likely to ask Scharf for an update within the week, the official said.
asserted
official → give → week
The Daily Mail has contacted Scharf for comment.
asserted
Mail → contact → comment
Mildon, 29, and Habba, 42, met at a Kennedy Center event in late 2025 and began dating this year.
asserted
Mildon → meet → 2025
They got engaged quickly and were married at New York's Waldorf Astoria last month in a lavish $10 million bash filled with MAGA stars, administration officials and foreign leaders.
asserted
They → engage → stars
By Wednesday afternoon, Mildon's lawyers had delivered the text messages and other evidence against Grenell to the White House Counsel's Office, sources say
Grenell, 60, ran the Kennedy Center from February 2025 until he stepped down in March after a tumultuous tenure
Scharf, who took over the White House Counsel's Office on September 1, was among the wedding guests, alongside Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel.
Grenell, once a friend of the couple, was not at the wedding.
asserted
Grenell → deliver → wedding
The White House did not respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment.
asserted
House → respond → comment
The Aporia
