The designation of Peter Lamelas as the future ambassador of the United States in Argentina has unleashed a strong controversy in the country. During his presentation before the Foreign Relations Committee of the North American Senate, Lamelas made statements that were qualified as “interference” and “colonialists” by referents of the Peronismincluding former president Cristina Kirchner, Buenos Aires governor Axel Kicillof and several provincial leaders.
In his presentation, Lamelas expressed his intention to “monitor the provinces” Argentina to avoid agreements with China, a country to which he described as an “adversary power” that could foster corruption pointing to the Peronism.
In addition, he openly defended the president Javier Mileipromising an “unprecedented alliance” between both governments and ensuring that he will work so that Cristina Kirchner “Receive the justice you deserve.”
These statements, which included opinions on local judicial causes and Argentine foreign policy, were interpreted as a direct interference in internal affairs of the country. The reaction did not wait.
From his social networks, CFK published an extensive message in which he compared Lamelas with a “plenipotentiary prosecutor” sent from Mar-A-Lago, in reference to Donald Trump’s residence. “The only thing he lacked was to say that he was going to designate courts himself. Nor Monroe was encouraged so much,” he wrote, alluding to the historic Monroe doctrine that justified US intervention in Latin America.
The former president also criticized Trump for her judicial situation and linked him to the Epstein case, noting that “they should first clean their home before they think about ours.” In a challenging tone, he concluded: “80 years ago it was Braden or Perón. Now it is Lamelas or Argentina. You choose.”
Axel Kicillof: “Lamelas Go Home”
The governor of the province of Buenos Aires was one of the toughest in his response. In a thread published in X (formerly Twitter), Kicillof described the statements of Lamelas as “intolerable” and a “violation of international law.” “A diplomatic envoy cannot behave as if it were a tutor of the sovereign policies of the country that receives it,” he said.
Kicillof also rejected any visit of the future ambassador to his province: “I already anticipated that you don’t even bother to come to La Plata: here no one will receive it.” In addition, he linked Lamelas’s speech with the actions of the government of Mileiaccusing him of “despising federalism” and “paranatancia the provinces.”
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