An allegation of millions of dollars' worth of donations from US President Donald Trump's inner circle, including the name of Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon, has come to the fore. It was claimed that Ric Grenell, the former director of the Kennedy Center and one of Trump's former advisors, offered Mildon to donate in exchange for the opportunity to have close contact with the US President.
According to the news of Axios and the New York Post, the claim that the $5.6 million that Grenell allegedly requested to be transferred to the Kennedy Center did not reach the institution caused an investigation to be launched in the White House.
It was stated that the allegations were conveyed directly to the US President by Mildon's wife and Trump's former lawyer Alina Habba.
In the message obtained by Axios and dated May 3, 2025, it was claimed that Grenell said that Mildon could have access to senior figures in the Trump administration in exchange for donations to the Kennedy Center.
The message allegedly belonging to Grenell included the following statements:
"Once the money reaches the company here, I will arrange the donation to the Kennedy Center. You will be able to attend VIP events and get close to the administration and even the President of the United States."
The message in question brought to the fore allegations that a public official may have requested financial contributions in exchange for political access.
However, Grenell denied that he sent the message. The former advisor also justified the fact that the name of the Kennedy Center was written as "Centre" in British English instead of "Center" in American English in the text, in his defense that the message did not belong to him.
ARE 5.6 MILLION DOLLARS OF 17.6 MILLION TRANSFER LOST?
At the center of the allegations is the money transfer of $17.6 million made on May 29, 2025.
According to news, the money in question was sent to Texas Armament & Technology (TXAT), a defense software company operating in the US state of Texas.
It was claimed that $5.6 million of the transfer was planned to be transferred to the Kennedy Center as a donation, but the money did not reach the institution.
While the documents submitted by Mildon to the White House show that the transfer was made, Axios reported that the money was sent not directly from Mildon's account, but from an account belonging to the Ministry of Finance of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
While it is stated that the transaction is part of a commercial agreement linked to the Central African country, the scope of the agreement and its connection with the Kennedy Center donation are not yet clear.
A White House official stated that they are trying to determine who owns the money used in the transfer.
It was stated that Trump's former personal lawyer Alina Habba played a role in bringing the incident to the White House agenda.
It was reported that during Habba's meeting with Trump in the Oval Office on October 9, her husband Turhan Mildon transferred money with the idea that a donation would be made to the Kennedy Center, but the donation did not reach the institution.
It was reported that Trump then instructed White House legal advisors to investigate the allegations.
It was noted that during the investigation, financial documents regarding the money transfer and correspondence allegedly belonging to Grenell were evaluated.
GRENELL DENIED THE ACCUSES
Ric Grenell, who previously served as the US Ambassador to Germany and Deputy Director of National Intelligence, denied the allegations against him.
Speaking to Axios, Grenell argued that he did not want a donation to the Kennedy Center to be diverted to another account.
"I did not want a single dime to be diverted by making it seem like it was being sent for the Kennedy Center, and I never received any payment from him," Grenell said.
Describing the allegations as untrue, Grenell asked Mildon to prove his accusations.
It was stated that a donation of $5.6 million in Mildon's name could not be found in the Kennedy Center's financial records. However, this alone does not prove that the amount in question was received or embezzled by Grenell.
Following the allegations under investigation, Turhan Mildon's commercial activities in Venezuela came to the fore again.
It was stated that Mildon undertakes the operation of state-owned cement factories in the country and also operates in limestone quarries and copper, cobalt and gold mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It was reported that Grenell and Mildon were also in contact during his time as Trump's Special Representative for Venezuela.
It was reported that after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces on January 3, interim President Delcy Rodriguez canceled Mildon's contract for cement factories in June.
According to the New York Times, Rodriguez suspended his decision to cancel the contract after learning about Mildon's relationship with Alina Habba.
INVESTIGATION CONTINUES IN THE WHITE HOUSE
Allegations of money transfer and donations between Ric Grenell and Turhan Mildon also brought the dispute between the names in Trump's inner circle to the agenda.
It was stated that Mildon and Habba met at the Kennedy Center and got married on September 26, while Grenell had previous business relations with the couple.
It was reported that the White House investigation investigated the source of the $17.6 million transfer, the intended use of the money, and the fate of the donation planned to be transferred to the Kennedy Center.
