Buenos Aires Herald 
Economist Carlos Rodríguez said Friday that he was “ending all formal ties regarding economic advisory” with La Libertad Avanza (LLA). He added that it would be “better for the cause of freedom” if he could offer his opinions without them being associated “with a political party or a person.”
Last May, Milei had announced that if he were to become president, Carlos Rodríguez would be one of his chief economic advisors. Rodríguez was part of a an LLA team that met with the IMF following the libertarian economist’s victory in the August primaries.
“People are asking why I’m doing this […] I haven’t been consulted in months; I’d already taken this decision some time ago. Today is the right time, given that Javier [Milei] has designated the Economy Minister and changed the president of the Central Bank. The house is in order,” Rodríguez wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The announcement comes in the midst of rumors that the Economy Ministry will be led by someone close to former President Mauricio Macri. On Thursday, Bloomberg news agency reported that Luis Caputo, who served as president of the Central Bank during Macri’s administration, had been confirmed as the head of Javier Milei’s economic team. However, three sources inside LLA told the Herald that there was no official confirmation.
In an interview with La Nación+ TV station on Wednesday, Rodríguez said that he was not currently advising Milei and that he didn’t know who the economy minister would be, but stated that Caputo “was not the right person.”
“I don’t know [Caputo]. I know Macri wants him. He was Finance Secretary; he comes from the world of finance, speculation, and economic assets. He’s not the right person; being the economy minister has a different set of job requirements,” Rodríguez said.
Rodríguez was in the spotlight Thursday for homophobic comments he made in that same interview. During a segment in which they were discussing LLA’s social views, Rodríguez told interviewer Luis Novaresio — who is gay — that he would explain “his problem with gays.”
“I respect gay people. I feel comfortable with them. I’m sitting here with you, and I feel perfectly comfortable. But if I see two men kissing, my stomach hurts. You have to understand that there’s the matter of testosterone; it´s a hormonal issue,” he said.
Carlos Rodríguez graduated as an economist from the University of Buenos Aires and has a PhD from Chicago University. He served as Secretary of Economic Policy between 1995 and 1997, during the presidency of Carlos Menem.
