Argentine governmennt
She has no prior political experience, but is a key figure in the Argentine government.
She has a background in public relations and marketing, but is better known for her past as a baker and Tarot card reader.
Few people know her voice, but hers is one of the most important in the country’s political landscape.
Karina Milei, 52, is her brother’s general secretary, Argentine President Javier Milei. While the position is not usually a highly senior one, Karina has become the second most powerful person in the libertarian government. Some would argue she is the first, as her brother calls her “The Boss.”
Javier Milei’s story is inseparable from his sister’s. Both were born into a middle-class family in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Villa Devoto. Their father, Norberto Horacio Milei, was a bus driver turned transport businessman, and their mother, Alicia Luján Lucich, was a homemaker. Karina was Javier’s sole defender when their “giant” father inflicted traumatic physical violence on him as a child, a form of punishment their mother allowed. This is no secret—Javier Milei has recounted the stories numerous times while he toured TV shows over many years as a showman economist.
After those episodes Karina Milei became inseparable from Javier, and the now-president is “absolutely dependent” on her. “He depends on her for essential aspects of his life,” Victoria De Masi, author of Karina: The Sister, The Boss, The Ruler, told Latin America Reports.
De Masi claims that “when it comes to actually governing as president,” Javier Milei “doesn’t handle that.”
“Karina does, of course, with the help of people who have been working in government for a long time. Karina is the one who takes care of political maneuvering, management, and opening doors,” De Masi explained.
“In the past, when her brother was a congressman, Karina took care of everything—from making sure he had food in the fridge to handling his campaign activities. There was no way to invite Milei to a TV program—which was practically his second home as a congressman—without first speaking with Karina. She was the one who arranged all the interviews,” De Masi added.
The relationship even went as far as Karina cutting Javier Milei’s food, the journalist said. “That’s just the nature of their relationship—it’s extremely close. Karina is Milei’s window to the world. She’s like his connection to the outside,” she explained.
From baker to campaign treasurer
After high school, Javier and Karina Milei’s paths diverged, though the two remained close. Javier attempted to become a rock star, singing Rolling Stones covers in a band called Everest. He also pursued a career as a goalkeeper with Chacarita Juniors but failed to reach the first division. He later studied economics at the University of Belgrano, worked as an analyst and consultant in various public and private institutions, and became a TV panelist, which catalyzed his rise to fame.
Karina Milei studied public relations at the Argentine University of Enterprise (UADE) and later marketing at the University of Belgrano. She held various jobs, including as a baker and Tarot card reader. After her brother launched his TV career she became his manager, handling his scheduling and finances. She continued in this role as Javier entered the political fray, first when he won a seat in the House of Representatives in 2021, and later when he ran for president in 2023.
“Karina was in charge of the campaign’s finances. She handled the campaign’s Excel sheets. In the 2023 presidential election, [Milei’s political party] La Libertad Avanza ran the most austere campaign, using all the money allocated by the state to competing political parties. Even with private donations, Karina managed to have money left over,” De Masi said.
La Libertad Avanza’s 2023 campaign faced accusations of informally soliciting money for meetings with then-candidate Javier Milei, as well as allegedly selling candidacies in various districts.
“At least three people spoke about this: Carlos Eguía, a candidate from Neuquén; Carlos Maslatón, a founding member of La Libertad Avanza who was later expelled by Karina Milei; and Mila Zurbriggen, a pro-life activist who was once aligned with Milei’s platform,” she added.
“There was a media report on this, and then electoral prosecutor Ramiro González launched an investigation on his own initiative. He looked into whether La Libertad Avanza, through Karina Milei or Nicolás Posse, was charging people for electoral positions. The investigation not only went nowhere but was closed due to a lack of evidence,” De Masi explained.
The author of Karina noted that Argentina’s electoral financial system “is extremely opaque, and we know that money moves through unregistered channels.”
“With the available resources it’s very hard to prove anything,” De Masi added.
De Masi insists that “Karina has always managed her brother’s personal finances.” Not only did she handle payments for his pre-congressional speaking engagements, but, the author said, “she also set the price for businesspeople who wanted to meet him at private dinners. This precedent directly connects her to the possibility that she charged crypto investors—allegedly—for access to Milei.”.
A key role in the Libra scandal
On February 14, Javier Milei posted a message on X promoting a “private project” dedicated to “encouraging the growth of the Argentine economy, funding small Argentine businesses and ventures.” The message included the cryptocurrency ticker $Libra. Within minutes $Libra’s value surged to USD $5 before dropping to mere cents within an hour of the original post. Analysts called it a “rug pull.”
Milei later deleted the post and attempted to distance himself from the project, but the damage had been done. A scandal bubbled up.
Indeed, Karina Milei’s role came under further scrutiny when the crypto scandal surrounding the Libra token made headlines in both Argentina and around the world. The latest evidence suggests the sister of President Milei played a key role in introducing him to the entrepreneurs behind the scheme.
A recent La Nación investigative piece claims Karina Milei led the negotiations that resulted in a letter of intent with Cube Exchange and an “association agreement” with Hayden Davis, CEO of Kelsier Ventures and a central figure in the Libra launch.
“There is no way that [Mauricio] Novelli, [Manuel] Terrones Godoy, Hayden Davis, and Julian Peh could have taken selfies with Milei without Karina knowing about it. If you look at the history of the Milei siblings, she is the gateway to him,” De Masi explained. “One thing is certain: Thanks to Karina, these people got close to the man who is now president,” she added.
The author believes Karina Milei’s involvement is an extension of her role managing Javier Milei’s finances. “There’s no way to get close to Milei without going through Karina,” she said.
As an example, the De Masi cited the premier of Pandenomics, a 2020 film starring the current president that criticizes Argentina’s previous administration for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. “At the Grandview Hotel there was a meet-and-greet afterward, and Karina was charging people for dinner to meet her brother. She already knew she was in campaign mode and was going to raise money in any way she could,” De Masi said.
“So, if you look at the pattern, the present follows the same logic: If someone paid, it went through Karina,” De Masi said. However, she remains cautious about the available evidence. “Even now, I wouldn’t be able to publish an article outright saying, ‘Yes, Karina took the money.’ So I end up in this dilemma: Everything points to it, but I can’t confirm it. And therein lies the issue—the system is extremely opaque, and money moves in the shadows. Everyone knows it.”
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