Argentina’s Milei Faces a Criminal Complaint Over Insults to a Journalist
ARGENTINA · POLITICS · PRESS FREEDOM
Key Facts
- —The country Argentina, South America’s second-largest economy, is governed by Javier Milei, a libertarian economist elected president in 2023. He is known for insulting critics on X, journalists among them.
- —The background Press-freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) counted 1,674 posts hostile to the press on Milei’s X account in 47 days in April and May 2026.
- —Why now On Wednesday, 30 September, Milei called the journalist María Eugenia “Maru” Duffard “corrupt trash” and a “filthy leftie” in several posts, after she discussed former president Cristina Kirchner.
- —What happened On 1 October, Elisa Carrió, founder of the Civic Coalition party, filed a criminal complaint accusing Milei of abuse of authority and gender, media, digital and institutional violence.
- —Who is who Carrió is a former congresswoman and three-time presidential candidate. Duffard hosts a midday show on Infobae and has worked on investigative television.
- —What it means for you A complaint is not a charge. It asks prosecutors to examine whether a president’s words can amount to a crime.
- —Still open Whether prosecutors take up the case, and whether Milei or his office responds.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei faces a criminal complaint over a string of insults he posted about a woman journalist. Elisa Carrió, a veteran politician and lawyer, filed it on Thursday, 1 October.
She accuses Milei of abuse of authority combined with “gender, media, digital and institutional violence” against the journalist María Eugenia “Maru” Duffard, the newspaper La Nación reported.
What Milei posted
The dispute began with a clip of Duffard on the station Radio con Vos. She said many people wanted to vote for Cristina Kirchner and could not, and that society owed itself a debate on that.
Kirchner, Argentina’s president from 2007 to 2015, has been convicted of corruption and is barred from public office. A pro-government account shared the clip, and Milei reposted it on Wednesday.
“I think sometimes we don’t swear at journalists enough… calling them corrupt trash is too little,” he wrote, according to La Nación. In a later post he called her a “filthy leftie with a double standard”.
A third post called her “CORRUPT FILTHY TRASH”. Duffard rejected the idea that she backs Kirchner, Crónica reported, and pointed to her past investigative work.
What Carrió is asking for
Carrió founded the Civic Coalition, a centrist party, and ran for president three times. She asked the Specialised Prosecution Unit on Violence against Women (UFEM), part of the federal prosecution service, to intervene.
Her filing says Milei launched “a misogynistic attack” in “vulgar, objectifying and aggressive” language unfit for a head of state. It argues a president has only “a very narrow private sphere” in which his conduct carries no public weight.
A day earlier, on Duffard’s own show, Carrió had called Milei “misogynistic and violent”. “This is enormous violence against women,” she said, according to El Destape.
On X she added that Kirchnerist violence and now libertarian violence both lead “to the precipice”.
A pattern, not a one-off
RSF says the posts fit a wider campaign against the press. Its count of 1,674 hostile posts in 47 days works out to about 36 a day, the newspaper El Tribuno reported.
Most were reposts: RSF found 89% were retweets and only 21 messages, 1.2%, were written by Milei himself. Accusations of corruption were the largest category.
RSF drove a truck with screens showing Milei’s posts through Paris during his visit there this week. Its director general, Thibaut Bruttin, compared his approach with that of US President Donald Trump.
The government’s tone is not limited to the president. In August, Economy Minister Luis Caputo demanded a law to punish journalists for “unfounded” reports, which Milei reposted.
What comes next
Prosecutors must now decide whether the complaint merits an investigation. The reports cited no response from Milei or his office.
The complaint does not mean Milei has been charged, and it does not threaten his office. In Argentina a president can only be removed through impeachment by Congress.
Its weight is political. Carrió, once an ally of former president Mauricio Macri, is not part of the Peronist opposition that usually leads attacks on Milei.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Elisa Carrió?
Elisa “Lilita” Carrió is a lawyer and former congresswoman who founded Argentina’s Civic Coalition party and ran for president three times. She is known for anti-corruption campaigns.
Can a sitting president be investigated in Argentina?
Prosecutors can look into a complaint against a president, but removal from office requires impeachment by Congress. A complaint alone has no effect on Milei’s position.
What is the UFEM?
It is the Specialised Prosecution Unit on Violence against Women, a branch of Argentina’s federal prosecution service that investigates and advises on cases of violence against women.
Has Milei insulted journalists before?
Yes. Reporters Without Borders counted 1,674 posts hostile to the press on his X account over 47 days in April and May 2026, most of them reposts.
Sources: La Nación, “Tras los insultos a una periodista, Carrió denunció a Milei por abuso de autoridad y violencia de género”, 1 October 2026; Crónica, “Carrió denunció penalmente a Javier Milei por violencia de género y abuso de autoridad tras sus ataques a una periodista”, 2 October 2026; El Destape, “‘Es inhábil moralmente’: la fuerte denuncia que Elisa Carrió prepara contra Milei”, 30 September 2026; El Tribuno, “RSF criticó a Milei por sus ataques a la prensa”, 1 October 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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