Milei's right-hand man Adorni quits as Argentina's chief of staff amid illicit enrichment probe

A scandal four months in the making

The turmoil began on March 8, when it was revealed that Adorni had taken his wife, Betina Angeletti, on a presidential flight to the United States. Subsequent reports of undeclared luxury spending and large cash payments triggered a judicial investigation into alleged illicit enrichment. On June 10, Adorni admitted hiding around half a million dollars in his sworn asset declarations, claiming the money was joint savings from his private sector career.

Milei's reluctant exit

President Milei resisted calls to fire his closest collaborator, even removing Adorni only from his parallel role as presidential spokesperson while keeping him as chief of staff. Opposition lawmakers moved to summon him to Congress for a possible censure vote, and polls showed 80% of Argentines wanted him to resign. The president finally accepted the resignation after his own sister, Karina Milei, the secretary general of the presidency, withdrew her support, according to multiple reports.

What Adorni said

In a lengthy letter posted on X, Adorni blamed "endless media attacks" for forcing him out and denied any wrongdoing.

I have been treated as a criminal and corrupt without a single act of corruption on my back.

He closed by stating: "I close this stage. I leave calm and serene, but above all with a clear conscience and firm in my convictions."

Karina Milei publicly praised him as "an upright, valuable and much loved person" and said she respected his decision.

The final trigger and a successor

The immediate spark came on Friday, when reports emerged that Adorni had used credit cards belonging to two officials under him to buy a monitor and two gaming projectors via his personal Mercado Libre account. By Saturday evening, Adorni announced his resignation. El País reported that Milei would replace him with Diego Santilli, one of the most experienced members of the cabinet.