Argentine President Javier Milei lost his top cabinet official on Saturday when Manuel Adorni stepped down amid an ongoing investigation into allegations that his personal spending far exceeded what his income could explain.
Adorni had been serving as cabinet chief since November of last year. He was originally brought into the administration as a spokesperson shortly after Milei took office in late 2023, and the two have been considered close allies.
In a resignation letter posted to the social media platform X, Adorni addressed Milei directly, writing: “For the first time since December 10, 2023, I am going against your wishes. I am closing this chapter. I leave peacefully and serenely, but above all, with a clear conscience.”
Adorni has faced accusations of illicit enrichment, with critics pointing to lavish personal travel that appears inconsistent with his official salary. Among the trips drawing scrutiny were a first-class holiday to Aruba over the Christmas season and a private jet trip to Uruguay during Carnival.
Adorni has maintained that he built his fortune before entering public service and that all family travel was covered with his own private money. “I haven’t committed any crime and I’m going to show that in court,” he told Congress during an address on the state of the nation in late April.
However, this month Adorni acknowledged in an interview with the Argentine newspaper La Nacion that he had kept undeclared savings for years — a practice he described as something done “like all Argentines.” He said he had updated his financial disclosures for 2023 and 2024 to account for approximately half a million dollars that had not previously been reported.
“The mea culpa I do is for having dragged an involuntary mistake and I am going to pay everything that corresponds,” Adorni said.
President Milei had firmly stood behind his cabinet chief as recently as May, telling La Nacion that “no way will Adorni leave” and that “I’m not going to execute an innocent person.”
The resignation adds to a growing list of political headaches for Milei, who is also contending with broader corruption allegations within his government and an economy where purchasing power has not kept pace with inflation. A poll conducted by Opina Argentina in May found that 39% of voters now hold a favorable view of Milei — a notable drop from an approval rating of 53% recorded more than a year ago.
