Manuel Adorni, Argentina's cabinet chief and one of President Javier Milei's closest allies, resigned on Saturday evening after more than four months of mounting corruption allegations that severely damaged the government's credibility. Adorni, 46, an economist and former television commentator who rose quickly through Milei's administration — first as presidential spokesman, then as cabinet chief from November 2025 — submitted his resignation in a letter posted on the social network X, blaming "endless media attacks" and saying he could no longer expose his family to what he called a "media carnage." A federal judicial investigation into alleged illicit enrichment remains ongoing and has not yet produced a verdict.

The scandal began in March when it emerged that Adorni's wife had travelled with the official presidential delegation to the United States without holding any official role. What started as a question about travel costs quickly snowballed into a far larger inquiry. Weekly revelations followed: the purchase of two properties in 2024 and 2025 — including a house in a gated community outside Buenos Aires and a Buenos Aires city apartment worth around $230,000 — a family trip to the Caribbean island of Aruba estimated to have cost up to $15,000, and luxury hotel stays. These expenses appeared incompatible with his ministerial salary. The final straw, according to reports, was the discovery that he had allegedly charged around €4,000 in gaming monitors to the credit cards of two staffers from the presidential spokesman's office. Faced with the prospect of a congressional impeachment process backed by the conservative opposition, his position became untenable. In early June, Adorni had already admitted to failing to declare approximately $500,000, which he attributed to cryptocurrency investments made between 2014 and 2018, before entering government — an explanation undermined when older videos surfaced in which he had claimed to know nothing about cryptocurrencies.

For months, Milei publicly defended Adorni against what the president called a media campaign, telling a television programme in May: "There is no way he is leaving. Adorni is an honest person." As recently as Friday, speaking from Spain, Milei said he would only remove his cabinet chief if a court found him guilty. The resignation came hours later. Adorni's letter acknowledged this, noting it was "the first time since 10 December 2023" he had acted against the president's wishes. Milei's sister, Karina Milei, the presidential secretary, posted a message of support, describing Adorni's situation as "difficult and undeserved."

Analysts and polling data suggest the affair has left a measurable mark on the government. Approval ratings for the Milei administration fell from around 47 points in February to between 36 and 37 points in the most recent surveys, with seven in ten Argentines saying the scandal had damaged their trust in the government; a separate poll found 78% believed Adorni should resign. Interior Minister Diego Santilli is expected to take over the cabinet chief role, though no formal appointment had been announced as of Sunday. Milei's governing coalition, La Libertad Avanza — which came to power in 2023 partly on an anti-corruption platform targeting what Milei called the political "caste" — faces a particular credibility challenge given that Adorni himself had been a vocal critic of corruption under previous governments.

Analysts caution that the political damage may not be permanent. The Milei government survived an earlier scandal to win midterm elections in October 2025, and one analyst noted that if the economy continues to perform adequately, corruption cases do not always translate directly into electoral losses. The full resolution of the crisis, however, will depend on the progress of the ongoing federal investigation — which also touches on Adorni's brother — and on whether further revelations emerge.