Buenos Aires Herald 
Chief of Staff Manuel Adorni resigned on Saturday following four months of heavy scrutiny over alleged corruption and unethical procedures, plus an unconvincing explanation of how he made his money.
Adorni tweeted his resignation together with a three-page letter in which he denied the accusations against him, thanked President Milei for his support, and said he was stepping down to protect his family.
“Mr. President, thank you for accepting my resignation to the position of chief of staff this time […] They’ve called me criminal and corrupt without a single act of corruption on my back. They even said that my staying was because I was extorting you and the general presidency secretary [Karina Milei]. They also attacked my personal life, targeting my children, my wife, my family, and my friends,” read a fragment of the text.
“Placing them as my priority is precisely what I’m doing today.”
Karina Milei, the president’s sister and a close ally of Adorni, tweeted her gratitude for the departing official’s “tireless efforts” in “defending the ideals of freedom.”
“We are aware of the difficult — and undeserved — time you and your family have been going through for months, and we respectfully support your decision, regretting that circumstances have led to this,” she added.
Adorni’s replacement has still not been confirmed.
The former chief of staff had already stepped down as presidential spokesperson, replaced by former deputy Adrián Ravier. The move represented a reshuffle within the Casa Rosada’s communications team and ended Adorni’s run as one of the most recognizable figures in the Milei administration.
Adorni has denied allegations of illegal enrichment and had announced plans to appear before the Upper House to deliver his first management report to the chamber on July 2, the same day he could be called for questioning.
Adorni’s time in the Milei administration
Manuel Adorni first became presidential spokesperson when Milei took office in December 2023. In the 2025 midterms, he ran for Buenos Aires City legislator, coming in first with a little over 30% of the vote.
Adorni, however, did not take his seat in order to serve as chief of staff, replacing Guillermo Francos on October 31, 2025. He would last only eight months in the latter position.
Allegations of corruption began following a financial event in New York held between March 9 and 12, after it became known that Adorni’s wife had been part of the official delegation that traveled to the United States.
The news prompted the opposition to submit a request for information to the lower house.
The former chief of staff admitted that his spouse, Bettina Angeletti, had joined after being “invited by the president’s office.” In an interview with A24 news channel, Adorni attempted to justify the trip on the grounds that his wife’s trip did not involve any additional cost for taxpayers.
“We didn’t take a single peso from the state,” he asserted.
During that interview, Adorni also acknowledged that he and his family had taken a private plane to Punta del Este during the recent Carnival holiday. He declined to offer details, saying that he had paid for the trip himself and that he did not discuss matters from his “private life.”
The following day, deputy Marcela Pagano filed a criminal complaint after media reports revealed details of the trip to Uruguay. The news was first published in elDiarioAR by Sebastián Lacunza, who was Herald director between 2013 and 2017.
Pagano argued that the cost of the private flight is inconsistent with his declared income and has asked authorities to investigate the matter.
According to the report, he was accompanied on the flight by his wife, two minors, and journalist Marcelo Grandio, a host on the state-run TV channel Televisión Pública who is also a friend of Adorni’s.
New properties
The plot thickened with the revelation of several properties he had purchased that far exceeded his earnings.
According to an investigation by La Nación newspaper on March 30, Adorni had bought an apartment in the Caballito neighborhood of Buenos Aires for US$230,000.
The report also revealed that in November 2025 he had bought another property registered in his wife’s name in the Indio Cuá Golf Club gated community, in the Exaltación de la Cruz district, Buenos Aires province. A contractor who worked on the property said the family spent US$245,000 on the works.
The revelations prompted federal prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita, who is conducting an investigation into Adorni’s alleged unlawful enrichment, to request subpoenas for property records, vehicle registrations, and financial transaction records. The goal is to identify assets that Adorni or his wife have not declared.
Adorni’s wife has also been tainted by allegations of corruption. Local media reported a series of payments made by the government to the consulting firm +BE, which is owned by Bettina Angeletti.
According to the reports, the firm received AR$6,370,000 (a little over US$4,600 at the official rate) for “business coaching services” to National Shipping S.A., one of state-owned oil and gas company YPF’s main providers.
Tax evasion confession
The former chief of staff initially refused to explain how he paid for the upgrade in his lifestyle since joining the government. He finally filed his asset declaration on June 10 and later gave an interview to LN+ outlet where he explained the details of his finances.
Adorni acknowledged that he had failed to declare and pay taxes on US$500,000 in savings, which he allegedly made from an initial US$200,000 investment in Bitcoin in 2014.
“I made a mistake, but I am not a thief,” he said, stating that Milei supported and “trusted” him.
In a bid to project an image of unity and show government support for Adorni, on the next day, Presidential Secretary Karina Milei shared a picture of a meeting of the administration’s top political figures celebrating Senator Patricia Bullrich’s 70th birthday.
The image showed Bullrich — leader of the ruling party La Libertad Avanza‘s bloc in the Senate — smiling as she blew out the candles on a cake, surrounded by members of the cabinet and senior aides, among them Adorni.
However, hours earlier, Bullrich had publicly questioned the chief of staff in a series of interviews, exposing tensions within the government.
“This is more than a mistake; it is an ethical omission. And our government has made morality a matter of state policy,” she told La Nación newspaper.
Rather than ending the controversy, Adorni’s asset declaration widened it.
Opposition lawmakers demanded further explanations. Some even floated the possibility of a censure motion, arguing that the government has failed to provide sufficient documentation to support the claim.
The political fallout has been amplified by social media. Monitoring reports cited by Argentine media found a surge of negative mentions of Adorni, with criticism extending beyond opposition circles and reaching users who had previously supported the government.
