Diego Santilli did not waste time. As soon as he was confirmed by Javier Milei as the new Cabinet chief replacing Manuel Adorni — who left amid a judicial investigation for alleged illicit enrichment, money laundering, and bribery — the former Interior Minister began making moves. And the first decisions are devastating: he plans to displace the entire team of collaborators from his predecessor.
According to official sources, the coordinator of Legal Affairs, María Guadalupe Triviño Suárez, and the head of the cabinet of advisors unit, Aimé Vázquez, would not continue in their positions. Both were part of the delegation that accompanied the President to Argentina Week in New York. But Santilli does not stop there: the heads of the six secretariats that make up the office’s organizational chart are also under scrutiny.
One of them already has a confirmed replacement: Fabián Fernández, with a past in Pro, takes over as Secretary of Press replacing Javier Lanari — the official who closed the Casa Rosada press room. That secretariat will now report to the Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei. The other areas in the spotlight are the Secretariat of Legal Coordination (Federico Sicilia), the Executive Secretariat (Ian Vignale), Innovation (Darío Genua), Strategic Affairs (Ignacio Devitt, who moves to Deputy Cabinet Chief), and Tourism and Environment, headed by Daniel Scioli, an old acquaintance of Santilli from the days of Buenos Aires Peronism.
“It is likely that Diego will arrive with his entire team,” sources close to the still Interior Minister let slip, taking for granted that the changes will be massive. However, there are no official confirmations. In Scioli’s circle, they highlighted the historic bond between the two and the “coordination” they maintained when the current secretary was governor of Buenos Aires province and Santilli was a Buenos Aires city official.
The transition photo between Santilli and Adorni, which was supposed to seal the handover, was postponed until tomorrow, when the new Cabinet chief is scheduled to be sworn in at 4 p.m. at Casa Rosada. Meanwhile, Santilli carried out a morning media blitz with at least four consecutive interviews before arriving at the Rosada. “I spoke with Mauricio Macri, but the leadership today is clearly Javier Milei’s. I will work for re-election,” he said on Radio La Red.
In the midst of the earthquake, one structure is spared: the Presidential Response Office, headed by Caputo ally Juan Pablo Carreira (alias Juan Doe), would remain intact. Those close to Santilli reiterated that, despite being a “karinist,” the new Cabinet chief maintains a good relationship with presidential advisor Santiago Caputo and the members of the Fuerzas del Cielo.
Meanwhile, the Response Office today published a photo of the private meeting in Olivos between Milei and Flavio Bolsonaro, a right-wing presidential candidate in the Brazilian elections on October 4. Milei and Bolsonaro will meet again tonight at an event of the Allies of Israel foundation. And as of this hour, the President would have canceled his trip to Asunción for the Mercosur summit, where he was supposed to cross paths with Lula da Silva.
para mi este santilli es un lamebotas de los mismos de siempre ya empezo a limpiar el equipo de adorni pa poner a sus amigotes se viene la joda de siempre mas ajuste a los laburantes y reparto de curros entre los amigos del poder ni un paso atras carajo
ke maraviya! para mi Santilli agarra la motosierra y corta cabezas de zurdos infiltrados. yo creo q Adorni era un blando, esto es lo ke nesesitabamos. fuera todos los kukas y progres, vamo a limpiar la Argentina. viva la patria!