Overview
- A May leak unveiled a November 2020 chat in which Pedro Sánchez and José Luis Ábalos mocked Margarita Robles as “pájara” and joked that she “sleeps with her uniform on.”
- On July 10 Robles labeled the remarks a “descalificación machista” after initially downplaying their significance and asserted that Ábalos was chiefly responsible for provoking the comment.
- She defended Sánchez by arguing that he was goaded by Ábalos’s provocation and absolved the prime minister of sexist intent.
- Robles reframed the uniform jibe as an honor for women in uniform, invoking former Uruguayan president José Mujica to underscore her point.
- PP deputy Cuca Gamarra criticized Robles for accusing the prime minister of sexism while retaining her cabinet post.