28/06/2026 06:03 - Politica
On June 24, 2024, President Javier Milei—Argentina's libertarian president elected in 2023 on an anti-corruption platform—delivered an unambiguous stance during an interview with journalist Franco Mercuriali: "Whenever there was even a shadow of suspicion of corruption over any government member, they were immediately ejected." He added a blunt metaphor: "If I catch you stealing, I cut off your hand."
Nearly two years later, on June 27, 2026, Milei offered a markedly different version when addressing the case of Manuel Adorni—his presidential spokesperson and close ally: "If I considered him guilty, I'd kick him out myself." But he immediately qualified: "I believe in his honesty. The matter is already in the courts. What's the problem?"
Adorni's resignation as Cabinet Chief (a position similar to Chief of Staff in the U.S.) followed four months of continuous scandals. The trigger was the appearance of his wife at the tomb of the Lubavitch rabbi—a controversial visit that unleashed a cascade of revelations:
Context for international readers: In Argentina, public officials must file sworn asset declarations. A 775% increase in net worth while serving in government would be virtually impossible to justify on a public salary. Argentine pesos have lost significant value due to chronic inflation—making the peso amounts cited worth substantially less in dollars.
A censure motion in Congress had accumulated 120 signatures of the 129 needed. The political pressure became untenable.
The case created fractures within La Libertad Avanza (Milei's libertarian party). Most notably, Patricia Bullrich—the Security Minister and leader of the center-right PRO party, allied with Milei—systematically undermined the embattled official.
Other figures also distanced themselves, including Nicolás Márquez (the President's biographer) and various online activist groups that had supported the administration.
Columnist Ernesto Tenembaum identified a pattern in how Milei handles scandals:
The column emphasizes that this problem extends well beyond the ruling coalition. Simultaneously with the Adorni scandal, images surfaced showing bundles of millions of dollars in the walk-in closet of a mansion where Martín Insaurralde was living—a key figure in Buenos Aires Peronism.
Insaurralde—former mayor of Lomas de Zamora (a major Buenos Aires district) and former Chief of Staff of Buenos Aires Province—fell from grace in 2023 after photos of him on a yacht in the Mediterranean went viral. Yet despite compelling evidence of illicit enrichment, the courts have not summoned him to testify.
Complicit silence: A full week after the dollar bundles scandal broke, not a single prominent figure from any political party has issued a public statement. Neither President Milei, nor Cristina Kirchner (former president and Peronist leader), nor her son, nor the Buenos Aires governor has uttered a word.
Both the government and opposition deploy the same phrase when facing corruption cases: "Let the courts resolve it." This stance, according to the analysis, allows politicians to evade accountability while judicial proceedings drag on indefinitely—a well-known tactic in Argentine politics where cases can languish for decades.
Adorni's resignation letter, signed on June 27, 2026, struck a tone of victimhood. The former official reiterated feeling offended at being called a thief and denounced what he called disproportionate treatment.
Tenembaum's conclusion is devastating: the problem is bipartisan and deeply entrenched. Tolerance for corruption did not begin with Milei and will not end with him. This phenomenon has dragged on for decades in Argentine history.
Adrián Ravier assumed the role of presidential spokesperson on June 26, 2026, while Diego Santilli—a veteran politician from the PRO party—is mentioned as a possible replacement for Adorni as Cabinet Chief. The transition was scheduled to begin on Monday, June 30, 2026.
Source: Ernesto Tenembaum's column in Infobae, June 28, 2026
Alfredo S. Quiroga
