Controversy over Chief of Staff's Wife Joining Official New York Trip

Socialist deputy Esteban Paulón announced the submission of a request for information to clarify who paid for the trip, the specific role of the Chief of Staff's wife within the delegation, and whether there were any potential incompatibilities or conflicts of interest. The Chief of Staff stated that his partner had originally paid for her ticket and that, due to a change in the presidential agenda, she was invited to board the official plane to be able to share part of the trip. Adorni's explanation came after opposition sectors questioned whether officials' family members should join an official delegation on a tour funded with public resources. In this context, Adorni stated that the decision was based on personal and logistical matters, and emphasized that both meal per diems and internal transfers were covered with their own money. The episode gained strong public visibility after images of the presidential delegation's visit to the tomb of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Mendel Schneerson, in Queens, a place that Milei usually visits on his trips to New York, began to circulate. The spread of these images sparked questions on social media and later more formal political demands. Official sources confirmed that Angeletti was part of the delegation that traveled on the ARG-01, the presidential plane. However, the political debate is now underway and promises to grow as the opposition demands details and the society watches closely for any signs that contradict the official discourse on the responsible use of state resources. From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they clarified that in this case she had already been in the United States for a week, so her presence, according to that version, was due to a prior coincidence and not a special incorporation into the delegation. The episode once again places under scrutiny the delicate balance between the austerity preached by the Government and the concrete decisions surrounding official trips. Adorni opted for a direct defense, supported by the argument that there was no cost to the public treasury and that his wife only accompanied him in exceptional circumstances. In this framework, the presence of companions did not go unnoticed and ended up opening a debate about the limits between the official activity and the private sphere of officials. The opposition reaction was not long in coming. From the Chief of Staff's entourage, they explained that the coincidence in the trip was also related to her own professional activity, as it was indicated that the official's wife—who works as an ontological coach—had planned to attend a congress linked to her specialty near where the official agenda was taking place. The presidential trip to New York also had a particular characteristic: it was larger than other visits by the head of state abroad. In television statements, the official defended his decision with a personal and direct tone. The proposal seeks to determine whether the inclusion of family members in an official mission can be justified administratively or if it represents an improper use of state resources. Furthermore, the controversy was not limited to Adorni's case. New York - March 11, 2026 - Total News Agency - TNA - Manuel Adorni came out this Wednesday to respond to the controversy generated by his wife's presence in the official delegation that accompanied President Javier Milei in New York, and assured that there was no irregular use of state funds or undue privileges. The reason was the so-called 'Argentine Week,' a series of activities with which the Government sought to show entrepreneurs, governors, and international investors the country's economic potential and various Argentine strategic assets. 'She is my woman, she is my life partner,' he argued, while insisting that neither the transportation, the stay, nor the daily expenses of both meant an outlay for the State. According to his details, his wife had paid a $5,345 ticket dated February 26, but the subsequent modification of the presidential agenda led to a situation in which, had it not been for the invitation to travel with him, they would practically not have met during the stay. In those photographs, Adorni's wife, Bettina Angeletti, appeared; she does not hold any position within the public administration. It also emerged that another spouse was part of the visit to the Ohel: the wife of Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, Josefina.