Buenos Aires Herald 
President Javier Milei’s speech for the start of the ordinary sessions period in Congress was clouded by tense exchanges that got physical. UCR Deputy Facundo Manes claimed that the president’s main political advisor, Santiago Caputo, threatened him for criticizing Milei and later approached him with a companion who allegedly hit Manes “twice in the chest.”
The conflict was sparked when Milei mentioned he would move forward in naming judges, prosecutors and ombudsman in judicial areas where those roles remain vacant. At that moment, Manes held up a copy of the Argentine Constitution and yelled that Milei violated it by naming two Supreme Court justices by decree days ago.
“Read it, Manes, it’ll be good for you. You are supposed to understand how the brain works, but it seems like you didn’t learn anything,” Milei responded from the podium, referring to Manes’ training as a neurologist. Manes is a member of the Unión Cívica Radical (UCR) but in Congress belongs to a bloc more critical of the president called “Democracy Forever.”
While Milei continued with his speech, videos show Caputo yelling at Manes from his spot in one of the Lower House balconies, raising a finger.
Manes later told media outlets in Congress that Caputo had approached him in one of the Lower House halls after the speech. “Caputo came up to me and threatened me again saying ‘You’ll hear from me, I can’t believe what you did,’’ Manes told the press. “The guy that was with Caputo hit me twice in the chest.”
According to an X post from fellow Democracia Forever Deputy Pablo Juliano, who was near Manes when the situation happened, Caputo said that he would “hit [Manes] with the full force of the state.”
Footage captured by journalists shows Caputo aggressively approaching Manes in the hall just outside of the Lower House floor and patting him in the face and chest. In one of the videos, libertarian influencer Franco Antunes, better known as Fran Fijap, covers the lens of the person who was filming, who appears to be a reporter from Data Clave.
Despite being Milei’s advisor and one of the president’s closest confidants along with his sister and Presidency Secretary Karina Milei, Caputo doesn’t hold a formal role in the government, and receives a salary as an external consultant.
Caputo made headlines two weeks ago when a leaked uncut version of an interview Milei gave about the $LIBRA cryptocurrency scam showed the advisor interrupting when the president was pressed about his personal responsibility. He apparently instructed Milei to change his answer and journalist Jonatan Viale to restart the question he was asking.
Milei only made one sarcastic mention of the crypto-scandal during his Congress speech while criticizing the workings of Argentina’s Central Bank under the past administration. “I dare you now to speak about pyramid schemes, come on,” he said.”
There were other tensions throughout Saturday evening’s special session. Accredited press denounced the government for attacking freedom of speech: they were moved from their usual spot at a balcony in the back of the house floor to the side, which offered only a partial view of what was happening. International guests could be seen sitting in their place. Photographers were also confined to a balcony and not allowed to move freely.
Outside, protesters gathered with pots and pans for a cacerolazo. The sound of the protest could be briefly heard in the official channel that broadcast Milei arriving at Congress minutes before 9 p.m. on Saturday.