Libertarian lawmaker Javier Milei claimed in an interview with Jonatan Viale on Radio Rivadavia on Wednesday that he had rejected a suitcase with US$300,000, offered to him on the condition that he not run as a candidate in the 2021 PASO primaries.
Regarding the proposal, the La Libertad Avanza deputy said that "it was the first of many" offers. He suggested that it had come from "a very important politician," although he did not name the individual.
In the interview, he alleged: "When they showed us the suitcase with the money, with my sister [Karina Milei, is adviser] we laughed. We couldn't believe what we were seeing. I told her 'Take it away, I'm not interested."
Milei said that from he was offered the bribe, which was in pesos, he evaded "the different requests for meetings with people from that circle who wanted to avoid my candidacy."
Viale carried on questioning the economist, asking him if the cash had come from figures in the opposition Juntos por el Cambio coalition, but Milei answered evasively: “It doesn't matter, because the important thing is that it was there and I rejected it. Done, that's it."
The lawmaker claimed that in national politics there are "very dirty things" and clarified that "he never thought of withdrawing his candidacy" as a matter of principle.
2023 elections
Without the spirit of confrontation, but underlining his differences, Milei said he did not care who Juntos por el Cambio put up as a candidate.
"Their candidate is not my problem, I compete against whoever has to compete," declared the economist.
Milei then took the opportunity to praise former president Mauricio Macri, since he considered that with the businessman at the head of the government "there would definitely be a new Argentina." He defended the 2015-2019 leader, saying the PRO leader had been "conditioned by the Radicals and the Civic Coalition" during his previous term in office.
Finally, he trained his fire on Buenos Aires City Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta. "With him, the return of Kirchnerismo would be assured," claimed Milei.
For him, Rodríguez Larreta is "a social democrat with a strong vocation for intervention."
"Everything that is wrong," he declared.
Masloton on Milei
Lawyer and financial expert Carlos Maslatón, who supported Milei until an estrangement earlier this year, said that the suitcase would have come from José Luis Espert and Luis Rosales, at the request of the Buenos City Mayor.
"The suitcase was sent by 'Calaca Roja' Espert and Rosales to Milei, on behalf of 'Umbrella' Larreta , and it was physical, full of real cash, it was not a hypothetical proposal. Milei rejected it and since then, February 2021, he has broken forever with both of them," he alleged.
— TIMES/PERFIL
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