Milei stands by Cabinet chief amid growing corruption scandal

Javier Milei emphasised his support for an embattled member of his government, standing proudly by a Cabinet chief embroiled in the type of corruption scandal he vowed to eradicate upon taking office.

Manuel Adorni, who was previously Milei’s presidential spokesman, is under investigation for illicit enrichment over lavish travel and real-estate purchases on his meager public salary.

But on Wednesday, Milei turned Adorni’s routine monthly appearance before lawmakers into a full-blown media spectacle, showing up with all his ministers in support while flashing smiles, giving repeated thumbs up gestures, cheering and hurling insults at left-wing politicians.

“A lot of you would like to turn this presentation into a public trial,” Adorni said in his hour-long opening remarks, adding he didn’t commit any crimes and intended to prove as much in court. “Regarding the question of whether I will quit or continue on as Cabinet chief, I want to make it clear to everyone,” he added. “I’m here to show my face.”

The probe into Adorni is unfolding at the most tenuous moment of Milei’s Presidency, and adding to the libertarian leader’s mounting list of challenges. His approval fell to 35.5 percent in April, down nearly 10 points from the start of the year, according to LatAm Pulse, a poll conducted by AtlasIntel for Bloomberg News.

Argentines rated corruption as their top concern in the poll, with just more than half saying they expect more revelations to come to light in the next six months.

The investigation into Adorni began last month after photos surfaced of his wife traveling aboard the presidential jet to New York for a conference to promote foreign investment, the sort of excess for which Milei’s cabinet chief regularly skewered the opposition.

The controversy boiled over when a video surfaced of Adorni flying his wife and kids by private jet to the posh Uruguayan beach retreat of Punta del Este. Local media have also reported that he bought a house in a gated community and an apartment after taking office, using mortgages financed by the sellers, as well as that he took an all-cash trip to Aruba and another trip to Rio de Janeiro.

Milei’s cabinet chief denies wrongdoing, and has said he paid for everything with his own money. But that response has drawn scepticism from Argentines, given that he has declared just over US$42,000 in cash savings and earned a salary of US$2,500 per month until late last year.

A judge determined there were no irregularities in his wife’s trip, while courts continue to look into his other purchases.

But despite the defiant appearance in Congress, the latest scandal to plague the government is clearly taking a toll on Milei at a time when the economy is also facing headwinds.

His campaign to curb inflation has begun to sputter over the last 10 months, with monthly price increases accelerating 3.4 percent in March. Economic activity contracted 2.6 percent in March, the steepest drop since 2023.

While energy and agriculture are booming, job-rich sectors such as manufacturing, retail and construction remain depressed.

Earlier this month, the president pleaded for patience, promising inflation would ease and growth would resume in April.

But Milei, long at the top of the list of figures Argentines view most positively, now lags behind his chief political rivals. AtlasIntel found that 46 percent say they have a positive image of Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof while 41 percent say the same of former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, two figures from the Peronist opposition Milei vowed to vanquish.

The President’s positive rating, by contrast, fell to 36 percent.