Argentine President Javier Milei’s cabinet chief resigned Saturday after struggling for months to defuse corruption allegations, becoming the most high-profile departure since the libertarian leader took office. Manuel Adorni, one of Milei’s most loyal lieutenants, stepped aside amid an ongoing investigation into real estate purchases and luxury travel on a private jet despite earning a government salary. After two months of denying any wrongdoing, he told a local television interviewer earlier this month that he actually hid $500,000 from Argentina’s tax agency and made most of his riches on an all-in Bitcoin bet over a decade ago. A TV pundit and university professor, Adorni previously served as Milei’s chief spokesman before leading the cabinet and had publicly railed against other politicians convicted on corruption charges. “I have been branded a criminal and corrupt, without a single act of corruption to my name,” Adorni said in a post on X Saturday afternoon. The investigation into Adorni began in March after photos surfaced of his wife, who is not in government, traveling aboard the presidential jet to New York, the sort of excess for which Milei’s former spokesman regularly skewered the opposition. After that, video surfaced of Adorni and his family flying by private jet to Uruguay’s posh Punta del Este beach resort. Local media also reported two real estate purchases Adorni made since Milei took office and an all-cash trip to a luxury resort in Aruba. From the earliest days of Milei’s term, Adorni became the public face of the president’s anti-corruption and austerity push, holding dozens of press conferences outlining efforts to eradicate kickbacks and excesses across government. In late 2024, he even touted the dismissal of an official over the purchase of a coffee machine.
Key Takeaways
- Manuel Adorni, one of Milei’s most loyal lieutenants, stepped aside amid an ongoing investigation into real estate purchases and luxury travel on a private jet despite earning a government salary.
- “I have been branded a criminal and corrupt, without a single act of corruption to my name,” Adorni said in a post on X Saturday afternoon.
- Amid the scandal, Milei’s approval rating fell to below 36% in April, down nearly 10 points from the start of the year, according to LatAm Pulse, a poll conducted by AtlasIntel for Bloomberg News.
- He claimed he made $300,000 by investing in Bitcoin as early as 2013 even though he once said he didn’t understand cryptocurrencies in a resurfaced 2020 video.
- Conservative former President Mauricio Macri, whose party has supported much of Milei’s agenda, had criticized the decision to appoint Adorni, a former columnist who had no prior political experience.
Insights & Analysis
- Last year, Adorni won a Buenos Aires city council race, but never took office, opting instead to stay in Milei’s government.