Argentine President Javier Milei ATTACKED, barely escapes
Argentine President Javier Milei had to be rushed out of a motorcade on Wednesday (27). According to local media, men threw stones and bottles at the Argentine leader. A spokesman said no one was injured.
The motorcade was part of an event hosted by Milei’s party, Liberty Advances, in the city of Lomas de Zamora, south of Greater Buenos Aires. The president was accompanied by Congressman José Luis Espert, one of the leading candidates in the October legislative elections.
Images circulating on social media show Milei waving to people from the back of a pickup truck when a commotion erupts. Other videos show Espert leaving the scene on a motorcycle, without a helmet.
The newspaper El Clarín reported that the motorcade had to be suspended for security reasons. The publication also reported that opposition activists insulted and threw objects at the president. According to the Argentine press, there was a scuffle between Milei’s supporters and opponents.
In an interview with the TN television network, Espert accused activists linked to former President Cristina Kirchner of violence. He also said that a photographer accompanying the campaign was hit by a rock.
“We walked several blocks in peace, with joy and great euphoria, and at a certain point stones fell very close to the president,” he said.
After the incident, Milei reposted several social media posts condemning the attacks. He also posted a photo with Espert and his sister Karina Milei—the target of corruption allegations
Milei is currently experiencing a crisis in Argentina, amid allegations of corruption. On August 22, the courts conducted searches as part of the investigation into an alleged bribery scheme involving high-ranking government officials and the president’s own sister, Karina Milei.
The scandal began after the release of audio recordings allegedly recorded by the former director of the National Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ANDIS), Diego Spagnuolo, who was fired by the government on August 21.
The audios mention bribes and name Karina Milei and Eduardo “Lule” Menem, the government’s undersecretary of Institutional Management, as beneficiaries of the alleged bribes in the purchase of medicines.
“They’re stealing, you can pretend you don’t know, but don’t blame me for this problem, I have all of Karina’s WhatsApp messages,” says one of the audio messages attributed to Spagnuolo and released by the local press.
Spagnuolo stated that the amount embezzled is up to 8% of each contract, around US$500,000 to US$800,000 per month, and that Karina receives around 3%.
In another excerpt, the former executive claims he spoke with President Javier Milei about the embezzlement. “They didn’t fix anything,” he adds.
The veracity of the recordings, however, has not yet been proven by the courts, which have not yet ordered arrests or filed formal charges under judicial secrecy.
In the search and seizure operation, authorities seized cars, cell phones, a money counting machine and US$266,000 (R$1.5 million, at the current exchange rate) in cash.
