Manuel Adorni He led a press conference at the Casa Rosada marked by tension after the dissemination of information about travel and personal assets that generated public controversy. From the beginning, he sought to delimit the field of discussion: “There is an attempt to install issues that have nothing to do with my function,” he told journalists, and stressed that his focus is “exclusively on management.” In several passages, he avoided delving into the most sensitive issues and reiterated that he will not deviate from his institutional role.
Asked directly about the episodes that led to the scandal, Adorni was blunt: “I’m not going to talk about my private life,” he stated, marking a boundary that he repeated on more than one occasion during the exchange. He also pointed out that “everything that corresponds to my financial situation is in order and presented to the corresponding organizations,” and added that “there is nothing to hide.” However, when faced with insistent cross-questions, he opted for brief answers or to return to his discursive axis: “My responsibility is to communicate the Government’s decisions, not to respond to personal issues.”
In other sections of the conference, the official tried to deactivate the political impact of the case by describing it as “operations” and “malicious versions.” “They are trying to divert attention from important issues,” he said, and assured that he will continue with his usual agenda. He also defended his conduct by maintaining that “there are no incompatibilities or irregularities,” although he avoided giving specific details about dates, financing or use of resources on the questioned trips.
Adorni’s tone and strategy evoked antecedents in Argentine politics, such as when Maria Eugenia Vidalin 2016, decided to publicly address their separation. On that occasion, Vidal provided personal details to close the issue and avoid speculation, pointing out that it was a decision made “with respect and care for the family.” Unlike that episode, the spokesperson opted for secrecy and refusal to provide details, which left open questions in the journalistic field.
On social networks, the former Buenos Aires governor reminded the coordinator of ministers of her past as a tweeter and the position she held that every official should be accountable for their privacy. Using a nice meme and rehashing a tweet that Adorni himself posted, the PRO leader shared the following message from March 2016. “Good Vidal giving explanations about his separation. It’s what he should do. His private life due to misfortunes is public in his case,” was the message that Adorni wrote ten years ago on his Twitter account.
The so-called “Adorni scandal” was unleashed from the revelation of a flight to New York that the official had taken with his wife, who does not exercise any public function, on the presidential plane, circumstances that raised severe questions. The trip coincided with days of official activity in the so-called Argentina Week, which led to requests for clarification as to whether it was an institutional mission or whether it ended up being a personal one. The lack of public details on the part of the official fueled the controversy.
Added to that episode was the dissemination of a trip to Punta del Este with his family, also under media scrutiny due to possible inconsistencies in the declaration of expenses and the nature of the transfer. Different sources indicated that the itinerary and costs of the trip had not been clearly detailed, which increased doubts about the official’s transparency in managing his private and public agenda.
Finally, another aspect of the scandal revolves around a property in Exaltación de la Cruz that, as it turned out, had not been declared in a timely manner in its property records. This point is considered the most delicate, since it could imply possible administrative irregularities. Although Adorni assured that “everything is in order,” he avoided giving specific explanations, which keeps the issue at the center of the political and media debate.
After the questioned press conference that the Chief of Staff, Manuel Adornioffered at Casa Rosada; the former governor of Buenos Aires Maria Eugenia Vidal He used social networks to refer to what was stated by the official.
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