BUENOS AIRES — Argentine President Javier Milei’s Cabinet chief and close ally, Manuel Adorni, resigned Saturday following a corruption scandal that has roiled the government, undermining its campaign pledge to stamp out endemic graft among the political elite.
The departure of Adorni — who, as Milei’s spokesperson, emerged in 2023 as the face of his strict austerity program and anti-corruption drive — costs the president one of his most trusted and longtime aides.
A political outsider like the president, Adorni became a lightning rod for criticism in recent months as revelations about his extravagant spending and real estate purchases dominated headlines. Milei named Adorni as Cabinet chief last year, giving him huge influence over negotiations with governors and other stakeholders in Congress.
Federal prosecutors are investigating Adorni for illicit enrichment stemming from the sort of alleged excesses over which Milei, and Adorni, have accused the left-leaning populist opposition. Adorni denies wrongdoing.
“For the first time since December 10, 2023, I am going against your wishes,” Adorni wrote in his resignation letter to Milei that he posted to social media, referring to the date that Milei entered office. “Thank you for always trusting me and thank you for supporting me through this unjust, painful and exhausting process for me and my family.”
So far, Milei has defended his Cabinet chief, even as the scandal damaged his government’s public image, constrained his political leverage in negotiations with allies and undermined his communication about spending cuts to Argentines scraping by on salaries that increasingly fall behind inflation.
“Manuel is innocent,” Milei told local media in Spain during his visit there last week. “I stand by my ministers to the bitter end.”
Milei’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Adorni’s letter.
His sister and top advisor, Karina Milei, thanked Adori for his “tireless work” and described him as an “upright, valuable and much-loved” member of their right-wing party.
Adorni’s private life first drew scrutiny in March when his wife, who doesn’t work in government, accompanied him on the presidential aircraft for a conference in New York.
Days later, video surfaced showing him and his family flying on a private jet to Uruguay’s elite Punta del Este beach resort. Local media reported that he bought two properties since Milei took office — a Buenos Aires apartment and weekend house outside the city. Images emerged of him on other luxury vacations, including an all-cash trip to Aruba. According to his public financial disclosures, Adorni earned a monthly salary of around $2,600 until late last year.
When confronted by lawmakers and journalists, Adorni has struggled to explain the inconsistency between his lavish spending and modest salary.
For weeks he maintained he had not committed any crime. But as pressure mounted this month, he admitted to buying dollars in Argentina’s black market and hiding $500,000 in savings from tax authorities — an illegal though widespread offense in crisis-prone Argentina that largely goes unprosecuted. Adorni insisted the money was earned legitimately including through cryptocurrency investments.
It remains unclear who will replace him as Cabinet chief.
Preve and Debre write for the Associated Press.
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