On February 15th Mr Davis called himself “Javier Milei’s adviser” and said that he was “working with him and his team”. Mr Milei’s office has said the government has no connection to Mr Davis. This was not Mr Milei’s first brush with crypto controversy.

In a television interview, Milei said the scandal was a "slap in the face", and he described himself as a "techno-optimist" who was just trying to "help fund Argentine projects". Lashing out at political opponents who had criticised him, he said that "every day they confirm how lowly politicians are".

The Argentinian president faces impeachment charges for endorsing a crypto rug pull, via the same network that apparently launched Melania Trump’s memecoin.