White House counsel is reviewing an alleged text connecting a proposed Kennedy Center donation to access to President Donald Trump, as questions surround a $17.6 million wire, Axios reported Monday.
The message, dated May 3, 2025, was provided to White House counsel by attorneys for Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon, Axios reported. According to the outlet, the message said Mildon would join VIP events and gain access to administration officials after money reached a U.S. company and a Kennedy Center donation was arranged. Axios attributed the text to Richard Grenell, then head of the Kennedy Center and special envoy to Venezuela. Grenell denied sending it and told Axios, “I've never received any payment from him at all.”
Sources cited by Axios described a financial record supplied to White House counsel. The record, dated May 29, 2025, listed a $17.6 million wire to Texas Armament & Technology; its date does not establish when the wire was sent. A White House official told Axios the money came from Congo’s finance ministry in Kinshasa. The New York Times separately reported that the transfer came from an account affiliated with the Congolese government.
According to Axios, Alina Habba, Trump’s former personal lawyer and Mildon’s wife, told Trump that part of the money was intended for the Kennedy Center. Her reported estimate changed from $17 million to $5.6 million. Lisa Dale, who handled the Kennedy Center’s finances at the time, told Axios that her books showed Mildon owed $270,000 and contained no record of a contribution near $6 million.
Axios reported that Trump asked White House Counsel Will Scharf to examine Habba’s claims. The New York Times reported in a separate Oct. 15 article that Mildon’s lawyer sent Scharf text messages and a wire receipt on the night of Oct. 14. Axios later reported that attorneys submitted documents on Oct. 16; the reports do not say whether those were separate submissions. The Times said it had not verified Habba’s accusations.
Axios published excerpts of the message, but the cited reports contain no full copy or image. Its authenticity remains unverified, and the reports have not established that a donation or exchange of access took place. Axios reported that counsel planned to check the text’s digital history.
