Martina Jaureguy Updated on June 29, 12:30 a.m.
President Javier Milei has chosen Interior Minister Diego Santilli to become his new chief of staff, following the resignation of Manuel Adorni amid growing accusations of illicit enrichment and corruption.
Santilli will remain in charge of the interior ministry’s affairs, as the ministry will be absorbed by the chief of cabinet’s office. He will be formally sworn in on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
“Here we are, with new Chief of Staff Diego Santilli and Presidency Secretary Karina Milei, outlining an orderly transition for his role,” Milei wrote on X on Sunday night, confirming the rumors that Santilli would replace Adorni.
The post came one day after Adorni announced his long-awaited resignation with an open letter to the president, in which he denied the accusations and thanked Milei for his unwavering support.
Milei also confirmed Adorni has stepped down from the board of directors of state-controlled oil company YPF.
“I take on the most important challenge of my life with the commitment of continuing to work so that this government can continue to make history,” Santilli said on X, sharing Milei’s post.
Santilli said he would “give it all” to ensure the government continues advancing “the structural reforms that Argentina has needed for decades.” He also thanked Milei and his sister for “their trust.”
Adorni’s downfall
The outgoing cabinet chief has been under scrutiny since March after reports revealed several luxury purchases that seemed inconsistent with his declared income and assets. He had also failed to disclose newly acquired properties until filing an updated assets statement three weeks ago.
According to reports, Adorni also used his employees’ credit cards to purchase personal items, such as gaming equipment, for around US$3,900.
“They’ve called me a criminal and corrupt without a single act of corruption to my name,” Adorni said.
Despite the numerous accusations, Milei has continued to back Adorni, even after he resigned. “I still trust in Adorni’s innocence. He is an honest person,” he said in an interview with LN+ news channel on Sunday night.
The former chief of staff had already stepped down as presidential spokesperson. He was replaced by Adrián Ravier, who until then had been a deputy for ruling party La Libertad Avanza (LLA) in Congress
Who is Diego Santilli
A career politician, Santilli began his path in Peronism in the late 1990s. A few years later, he joined former president Mauricio Macri in the party that would become center-right PRO, which has been ruling Buenos Aires City since 2007.
Santilli became one of PRO’s most prominent figures, climbing the ranks until he assumed the role of Buenos Aires vice mayor under Horacio Rodríguez Larreta (2015-2021).
He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies as a PRO lawmaker in 2021. In 2025, he ran for deputy again on the joint PRO-LLA ticket, replacing the ruling party’s lead candidate José Luis Espert, who dropped out after reports revealed his connections to alleged drug dealer Fred Machado.
Santilli also climbed the ranks within LLA. While he is still a member of PRO, he was appointed interior minister in November 2025 to replace Lisandro Catalán.
The new chief of staff is one of several current and former PRO members with years of political expertise to have joined the government, whose early ranks were largely made up of officials with little or no experience in public office.
