Javier Milei’s attempts to pitch Argentina as a land of opportunity to international investors in New York this week were overshadowed by accusations that one of his top officials behaved like the political “caste” the President has vowed to eliminate.
Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni – one of the most influential figures in Milei’s government and the President’s former spokesperson – became embroiled in a media storm during the three-day ‘Argentina Week’ roadshow in the United States. So much so that he even referred to it in a speech to investors.
The controversy centred on the decision to allow the Cabinet chief’s wife, Bettina Angeletti, to travel aboard the presidential aircraft that carried Milei and his delegation to the United States.
Adorni attempted to brush off the scandal during an event midweek, portraying the reports as an attempt to undermine the government.
“They tried to tarnish this event with lies, fake news and AI-manipulated images, but they will not divert us from our objective,” he said, referring to fabricated photographs circulating online showing the Cabinet chief and his wife shopping in New York stores and ice-skating.
Argentina Week brought together government officials, business leaders and international investors in New York for a series of events aimed at promoting Milei’s economic reforms and attracting foreign capital.
Speculation that Angeletti had joined the delegation first emerged when eagle-eyed social media users noticed her in a photograph alongside her husband taken during President Milei’s visit to the tomb of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson in the Queens borough of New York.
The image reignited opposition criticism and raised questions about whether relatives of officials should be allowed to travel on the presidential aircraft, which carries the callsign ARG-01.
In an attempt to calm the issue, Adorni granted a television interview to journalist Eduardo Feinmann in which he acknowledged his wife had travelled on the presidential plane but insisted no irregularities had occurred.
He also defended the size of official delegations, saying “this government’s delegations are the smallest in history.”
“She was originally due to travel to Miami on February 26, but there was a change to the trip and I wanted her to accompany me. The Presidency invited her. The truth is that I wanted her to come with me,” said Adorni.
“I’ve come [here] to work myself to the bone for a week or five days in the United States and I wanted my wife to accompany me because she is my life partner. Not a single peso was taken from the state. The Presidency invited her to board the plane, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to meet,” the official argued.
Private trip to Punta
The controversy deepened midweek when new reporting raised questions about another recent trip taken by the Cabinet chief.
The elDiarioAR website reported that Adorni had travelled to Punta del Este last month with his family and a friend via private jet for a five-day holiday. Tiempo Argentino later published a video that seemed to show the official and his family boarding the private jet.
According to reporting by journalist Sebastián Lacunza, the five-person party flew on a HondaJet aircraft chartered from operator Alpha Centauri. Each leg of the flight normally costs US$5,800, but the person who paid the invoice – whose identity has not yet been disclosed – reportedly paid US$10,000 thanks to a promotional offer, said the report.
Lacunza also reported that on the return leg Adorni requested that immigration procedures be completed inside a hangar at San Fernando airport to avoid passing through public areas.
The reports drew attention in part because Milei’s administration has repeatedly criticised the privileges of Argentina’s political elite – which he brands “the caste” – while implementing sweeping austerity measures. The President regularly brands the opposition as “corrupt.”
Adorni’s travel companion, Marcelo Grandio – a TV Pública journalist and entrepreneur – confirmed the flights and five-day holiday during a television interview. He said he did not take the return flight to Buenos Aires and added that the Cabinet chief had paid for his family’s share of the flights.
During the interview with the C5N news channel, Grandio also disputed initial reports that the return journey had cost US$10,000, claiming the figure was closer to US$3,600.
Grandio, who lives in Uruguay, frequently travels to Buenos Aires to host a programme on Argentine state television. The show began two months after public media outlets were placed under the control of the government’s Communications Department, which at that time was headed by Adorni. The pair are long-time friends and previously hosted a cable television programme together.
The Cabinet official has refused to answer questions about his stay in Punta del Este, saying the matter relates to his “private life.” He initially made the same argument this week when questioned about his wife’s trip to New York.
Opposition criticism
Adorni is likely to face further scrutiny in the coming days as journalists continue examining the details of the private jet trip. Opposition lawmakers have already begun questioning how the official could afford such travel, suggesting it may not align with the income and assets declared in his sworn statements.
Deputy Germán Martínez, leader of the Unión por la Patria (UxP) caucus in the Chamber of Deputies, called for Adorni to be summoned before the lower house to provide explanations “regarding the publicly known facts, after which the chamber must consider a possible motion of censure.”
“The official must account for the alleged irregularities in the use of state assets and public funds,” the UxP bloc said in a statement, calling on Adorni to detail the costs related to his wife’s travel, accommodation and other expenses during her stay in New York as part of the official delegation.
Partido Socialista lawmaker Esteban Paulón also criticised Angeletti’s presence in New York.
“When he said ‘My wife travelled on the presidential plane,’ he was admitting serious offences such as misuse of public funds, abuse of authority and violation of the public ethics law, among others,” the legislator said in an interview with Splendid AM 990.
“Adorni is like the genie in the lamp, because his wife wished to travel to New York and he rubbed the lamp and made it happen. Of course, the genie performs miracles and then figures out who will pay for them,” he added sarcastically.
Local media reports suggest that some government officials are unhappy over the scandal, not least its timing. However, Casa Rosada sources say the government will “stand by” Adorni, dismissing it as a “non-issue” and the idea of his resignation as “nonsense.” There has not even been an order to defend the Cabinet chief on social media, they added.
– TIMES/PERFIL/NA
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