Milei says ‘no chance’ of Adorni leaving government

President Javier Milei says there is no chance of Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni leaving his government, backing his under-fire official after another week of damaging revelations.

Milei, 55, offered his backing to the under-fire official as rumours circulated in the local press that the former presidential spokesperson could be on the verge of being ousted and party allies expressed concern in private over the ongoing scandal.

The La Libertad Avanza leader instead confirmed he would stay in position, dismissed rumours of a reshuffle and slammed the press.

Adorni continues to receive the full-throated support of his boss, despite media reports alleging property purchases via unreported transactions, lavish family holidays, expenses exceeding his income and cash-in-hand payments to contractors.

Milei was at his most declarative on Wednesday evening. Asked by two of his most supportive journalists on the LN+ news channel about Adorni’s future, he responded “Ni en pedo se va” – a phrase that translates to a forceful no.

“I’m perfectly calm because Adorni is an honest person and a decent man. And, let’s say, I understand the media slaughterhouse, the badly done numbers with malicious intent,” the President told Luis Majul and Esteban Treburcq.

“I’m not going to execute an honest man on the altar of journalists,” said Milei, his voice rising in tone.

Despite the supportive questioners, Milei did tussle with the reporters. At one point Trebucq challenged the President, saying: “Adorni lied, Mr President, what are you going to do?”

After receiving pushback from the head of state, the journalist insisted that data presented by the official did not match the public explanations given by the ex-presidential spokesperson.

Milei responded with characteristic vehemence, declaring: “Adorni isn’t going anywhere.” He then upped the ante and suggested the claims against his top official were part of a “witch-hunt” by top business leaders unhappy with his administration. 

At another point in the interview, Milei also hit back at his party colleague Senator Patricia Bullrich, who earlier in the day had demanded that Adorni submit his financial disclosure statement as soon as possible: 

“The numbers are in order and they will be presented, so, let’s say, it doesn’t even generate any concern for us because all his figures are in order. So, let’s say, it’s only a matter of days before they have the paperwork,” he said, dismissing the line of argument.

Milei granted the interview after another troublesome week for Adorni, which was topped off by witness testimony from a contractor who said the government official paid him US$245,000 in cash for a luxury home refurbishment.

 

Attack on contractor

The President attempted to brush off those claims, paying them as an opposition scam to take down his top official.

Without naming the contractor involved in the allegations directly, Milei accused him of “being a Kirchnerite activist” who favoured the opposition. 

The La Nación newspaper published a report this week indicating the contractor in question, Matías Tabar, had voted for Milei at the last election and for former president Mauricio Macri’s PRO party previously. 

In a post on social media on Thursday, the contractor said he was saddened by Milei’s remarks.

“Sadness, anguish, pain in my heart, listening to the President of the Nation, Javier Milei, when I staked my hopes on a different country every time I had the chance, with Mauricio Macri and with La Libertad Avanza,” wrote Tabar on X.

It may not be the contractor’s last appearance on the scene, however. Leaked WhatsApp messages this week indicated that Tabar may have been contacted by Adorni before his appearance in court this week in an attempt to keep him onside and cover-up any wrongdoing.

The messages, divulged by A24 television news channel, expose an exchange prior to the contractor’s court testimony in which the official told him: “You can count on me for what you need. You have all my support. You will be getting a call from my team, the lawyer.”

At another point Adorni in- sisted on his offer: “Well, we had agreed that if you needed my help,” while Tabar responded that he recommended completely cutting off all contact between them. “Look, I’d like to pass onto you that I have spoken to people who advised me not to ha- ve any more communication between us,” he pointed out, adding: “Manu, I thank you. We’re going to tell the whole truth.”

The appearance of these chats comes in parallel with the advance of various cases investigating Adorni for presumed irregularities linked to his assets and real-estate operations.

The ongoing files include analysis of the purchase of a Caballito flat, a transaction which led to the statements of witnesses and new court mo- ves to reconstruct the conditions in which the purchase was made.

Other charges point to trips and financial movements inconsistent with the evolution of the official’s assets, thus broadening the scope of the investigations. Recent reports have pointed out that Adorni’s assets include significant numbers between spending and debts – it has also been leaked that he bought furniture for the Caballito flat worth 14 million pesos, a sum incorporated as an element of analysis in court presentations.

Meanwhile, the case is at a stage of collecting evidence and testimony without ruling out new summonses or court action in the next few weeks. The diffusion of the chats adds a new political and legal component which could be evaluated within the ongoing cases to determine if there was any kind of intervention to exert undue influence.

 

Bullrich pressure over revelations

Senator Patricia Bullrich, the La Libertad Avanza caucus chief, said Wednesday that  Adorni should present his sworn statement of assets “immediately” because otherwise “the [government’s] project would suffer.

The remarks were seen by analysts as a call for President Milei and his close advisers to sweep the deck and draw a line under the media furore surrounding Adorni, who has been under pressure for more than a month following scandalous revelations about multiple properties, cash payments for refurbishments and luxury holidays.

Investigators are now probing Adorni’s wealth and assets to see if his income matches up to his spending.

The official has yet to file a sworn affidavit this year outlining his holdings, though President Milei said midweek that he would do so soon.

Regarding the Adorni case, Bullrich said that the official had to present his declaration of income “convincingly and quickly because if not, the project will suffer, which is the most important.”

The Cabinet chief ”has to make the effort to end all this as soon as possible because we want to discuss the issues which will bring us investments,” she argued. 

“Dragging this out is something which makes no sense with the deadline for presenting the sworn statement of assets already extended,” she insisted.

Bullrich further denied reported tensions with Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina Milei, reportedly vexed that the senator has too much freedom of action. 

The caucus chief recalled that her party ally had given a “like” to her latest video in her social networks.

Some analysts see Bullrich’s move as an attempt to take Adorni out of the running for next year’s mayoral election in Buenos Aires City, a position she has targetted for herself.

Admitting that she would like “to represent the porteños,” Bullrich said that did not necessarily mean as mayor. 

“I will be where President Milei wants [me to go]. Senators are representatives of their people. I want to represent the porteños. Whether as City mayor or not does not matter,” the former national security minister told A24 television news channel.

 

– TIMES/NA