This Wednesday the 29th, Manuel Adorni sat before the Chamber of Deputies to give his management report. It was the first time that the Chief of Staff fulfilled this constitutional obligation, and the context could not be more tense: he arrived with complaints for alleged illicit enrichment, trips on the presidential plane with his wife and alleged irregular contracts with his friend, the journalist Marcelo Grandio. Milei and a good part of the Cabinet were installed in the premises as a sign of support. The opposition had prepared more than 4,800 written questions; The Executive responded just over 2,100. The debate lasted more than six hours.
Myriam Bregman crossed it without hesitation: “How do you explain that you earn in pesos and spend much more in dollars than you earn?” Néstor Pitrola was even more direct: “You are a political corpse.” Adorni withstood the barrages and in the end hardened his tone: “I did not commit any crime and I am going to prove it in court.” Meanwhile, on his bench was a small olive green can, unmistakable to anyone who has lived in or traveled to the United States. Altoids. The networks did the rest.
The mint that does not exist in Argentina
Altoids are not the Menthoplus from the corner store. They are a brand with more than 200 years of history, manufactured today by Wrigley (a subsidiary of Mars), and They do not have official distribution in Argentina: They are not available in any kiosk, pharmacy or supermarket in the country. The only way to get a can is to order it from someone traveling to the United States, buy it via import services like Tiendamia or track it down at MercadoLibre resellers, where it can cost between $10,000 and $20,000 pesos —up to six times its original price (US$3.32 at Walmart). Accessible if one has regular access to the outside. Complicated, and expensive, if not.
That the Altoids appeared on Adorni’s bench would not be news in any other context. But that Wednesday the Chief of Staff was defending himself from exactly that: from having a lifestyle that does not cover your declared salary.
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