Overview
- José Luis Espert withdrew his candidacy for the Oct. 26 parliamentary election after acknowledging a $200,000 payment in 2020 and about 35 flights connected to businessman Federico Machado.
- Espert said the money was for consulting to a Guatemalan mining company owned by Machado and denied knowing of any alleged criminal ties.
- Federico Machado is under house arrest in Argentina and is sought by the U.S. Justice Department over alleged links to drug traffickers.
- President Javier Milei defended Espert in a television interview, accusing opponents of a defamatory operation and framing the controversy as a political attack.
- The episode adds pressure on Milei’s minority bloc after a heavy Buenos Aires provincial defeat, two veto overrides in Congress, and ongoing probes involving Karina Milei, with the ruling party seeking gains but still far from a parliamentary majority.