Manuel Adorni resigned as Argentina’s chief of staff on Saturday, ending a 109-day political crisis triggered by revelations of luxury travel, property acquisitions and cash payments that far exceeded his declared income. In a letter published on social media, Adorni denied all wrongdoing and blamed “interminable media attacks” for his decision, while thanking President Javier Milei for finally accepting a resignation he had previously refused. Government sources indicated that Interior Minister Diego Santilli is the leading candidate to replace him, with an official announcement expected on Sunday. The move is designed to unlock a legislative agenda paralysed by opposition demands for Adorni’s interpellation and to contain the damage to Milei’s public standing.

Within the governing coalition, reactions exposed the tensions that had built for months. Karina Milei, the president’s sister and secretary-general of the presidency, praised Adorni as “a person of integrity” and said the government respected his decision. Senator Patricia Bullrich, who had publicly demanded Adorni present his asset declaration immediately, wrote that “trust and ethics are two fundamental elements to deepen the change we are building,” a message President Milei reposted. Opposition figures, from the Radical Civic Union to Peronist blocs, argued the resignation should have come months earlier and called for a swift judicial process. The Radical party stated that “an inexplicable growth in wealth and a succession of lies” had made Adorni incompatible with high office.

The scandal has inflicted measurable political costs. According to polling data cited by Argentine media, Adorni’s negative image reached 63 percent, and seven in ten respondents said their trust in the government had fallen because of the case. Corruption re-emerged as a leading public concern, complicating Milei’s effort to campaign on transparency and austerity. The legislative calendar ground to a halt as allied governors and lawmakers refused to advance bills while the chief of staff remained in post, fearing any session would be used to force a censure motion. The judicial investigation for alleged illicit enrichment continues, with federal prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita awaiting a technical report on Adorni’s patrimonial evolution before deciding whether to summon him for formal questioning.

Adorni’s trajectory from presidential spokesperson to chief of staff had made him one of the most visible faces of the Milei administration. The crisis began in early March when his wife was photographed travelling on the presidential aircraft to New York, and it deepened with disclosures of a private jet flight to Punta del Este, a house in a gated community, a flat in Buenos Aires, and over US$245,000 in cash payments for home renovations. Adorni later admitted to holding undeclared savings of around US$500,000, which he attributed to cryptocurrency investments and an inheritance, contradicting earlier statements that all his assets were properly declared. The resignation letter listed dozens of allegations he dismissed as false, including the existence of a USB drive “full of dollars.”

The succession is expected to be formalised within days. Santilli, a former Buenos Aires deputy mayor with ties to both Karina Milei and presidential advisor Santiago Caputo, would become the fourth chief of staff in Milei’s two-and-a-half-year term. The government hopes the reshuffle will restore its ability to negotiate with Congress and provincial governors, where key reforms on property rights and electoral rules have stalled. Meanwhile, the judicial probe will move forward once the fiscal’s office receives the patrimonial analysis, with a possible summons for Adorni anticipated after the August judicial recess.