Argentinian journalist waiting to fight President Milei in court after deepfake pornography bullying scandal

Journalist Julia Mengolini, founder and director of radio station Futuröck, caught widespread attention last summer after suing Argentinian President Javier Milei and more than 20 people connected to his administration, accusing them of “unlawful association, embezzlement of public funds, coercive threats,” and “public incitement to hatred.”

A judge has yet to take up the case, Mengolini told CPJ. “It is very difficult for a judge to investigate a president,” she added. “That is why I am not impatient; this is a fight that could be long-term, but we will continue to fight it.”

In Mengolini’s 15 years covering Argentinian politics, she says journalists have never been so severely persecuted and targeted since Milei’s government took office December 2023. The right-wing populist president has filed two criminal complaints for slander against Mengolini—one dismissed, another reopened December 18, 2025. If she loses the cases, she faces a fine between 1,500 and 20,000 pesos (US$1 and US$14), according to Article 110 of the Argentine Criminal Code. Mengolini shared that Argentina’s Minister of Health also filed a case against her that was dismissed, but the legal action against her hasn’t softened her resolve to report the truth.

In connection with her work, Mengolini has been the target of intense online harassment, including an incident in which deepfake videos were shared depicting her in sexual acts with her brother. However, Mengolini says she’ll continue speaking out against the harassment of journalists and standing up for others “who think like us.” Here, the journalist shares more about her lawsuit against Milei and the comment that changed her life forever.

This interview, translated from Spanish, has been edited for length and clarity.

Can you elaborate on the incident that led to Milei’s lawsuit against you?

More than two years ago, on a political comedy television program, Milei was running for president, and I said that he was a man in love with his sister and lived with eight dogs. He sued me for slander, but the judge dismissed the case on grounds that it was a matter of public interest, since the president himself had said a few days earlier that he wanted to be president so that his sister could be first lady.

Furthermore, it was proven that the relationship with his sister was of public interest because she is the secretary of the presidency and one of the key people in Milei’s political structure. All of this was stated by the judge who dismissed the case against me.

Were there any other complaints filed by government authorities?

Yes, one by the Minister of Health, Mario Iván Lugones. We did a special broadcast from Garrahan Hospital in Buenos Aires, which is the children’s hospital that suffered government cuts. It was a day of strike, of important struggle. He sued me for allegedly “hindering the normal functioning of the hospital.” The judge dismissed the case. There was another criminal complaint for slander because I said that Milei constantly exposed us to metaphors of rape. That was also immediately dismissed.

How would you say the handling of these complaints have differed under Milei’s administration?

It’s a whole system of persecution with a very clear goal of enforcing discipline. Not only are we being sued and persecuted but also being used as an example for other journalists. It’s a kind of “look what can happen to you too.” The lawsuits come together with organized attacks on social media, a tremendous amount of hatred that generates a kind of self-censorship. There are many journalists who are much more careful about what they say, and others who adjust their discourse so as not to upset Milei’s government because there is very low tolerance for criticism. They make up fake news to unsettle and silence us.

How did you deal with those campaigns against you? How did you protect your online presence?

Personally and emotionally, I haven’t looked at my mentions on X in a long time, and I stopped tweeting a long time ago. Besides, I was banned from X. I have a ghost account with 250,000 followers that can’t be found. I don’t know how to reverse it, there’s no court, I don’t know who did it to me. Every time someone talks about me, I can’t interfere or defend myself. My emotional coping mechanism is not to look. I mean, I look at my X timeline, but I don’t look at my mentions or my name. When I know I’m trending, I don’t go in. I distance myself from all that violence, but it reaches me anyway. It hurts and it’s quite mortifying.

Do you think Milei’s attacks against women are worse when compared to those directed at male colleagues?

Not so much from Milei specifically; he is bolder with women, but there are also criminal complaints against male colleagues. The whole system of organized hatred on social media is absolutely misogynistic. The attacks we women receive on social media cannot be compared to the attacks and hatred that men receive. It is a system led by [Argentina’s] far right.

How did you ultimately come to the decision to sue Milei?

It was after one of the most violent attacks I suffered: a video made with artificial intelligence where Milei’s political force’s “libertarian trolls” romantically linked me to my brother on Twitter. This was amplified by figures very close to Milei and by Milei himself, who dedicated 93 tweets to me in one weekend. There was another “deepfake” video where I was having sex with my brother. They would send you the link if you asked a troll for it.

We reconstructed the map [of the attack]: where it had come from, who had started it, who had amplified it, how that network was formed. After a fairly thorough and serious investigation, we came to the conclusion that the head of that organization was Milei himself. Lilia Lemoine [from the La Libertad Avanza party], one of his closest congresswomen, was among the first to retweet the video. Santiago Oría, director of [the presidency’s] audiovisual production, did so as well. All the trolls who are part of the libertarian ecosystem were the ones who distributed the video. We investigated the embezzlement of funds because we understand that the organization that disseminated this video is funded by public money.

The complaint I filed against him and more than 20 people very close to him is for unlawful association, embezzlement of public funds, coercive threats, because Milei’s followers said they were going to kill me and do horrible things to me, and public incitement to hatred.

Has a trial date been set for your case?

Not yet. This is a fight that could be a long one, but we will continue to fight it. It is a great opportunity to set a precedent on the use of artificial intelligence, the organization of hatred on social media, a tool that far-right leaders can have at their disposal.

After everything you’ve been through, have you ever thought about quitting journalism?

I think about it every now and then. Some days are difficult. There is a lot of organized and constant harassment directed at me. I must be one of the most hated women in Argentina. Some of the hatred is artificial, but there is also hatred that they manage to instill and convince part of society to hate me. Some days that’s hard to deal with.

How has your health been affected by such harassment?

I have a lot of digestive problems. This year, I developed an intestinal disorder called SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), which is linked to stress. It started at the peak of the video incident with my brother. I still can’t heal. I can’t eat almost anything, no sugar, no flour, no carbohydrates, and I have to eat like a bird. I lost a lot of weight. It’s the body suffering what the mind tries not to suffer.

Given everything you’ve been through, what would you say to young journalists navigating the new politics of the world? 

I would tell them that there is a lot to do, that we have a very difficult task ahead of us, which is to dismantle a huge, highly organized structure of lies. I think there is no choice but to fight, and that in the end it is a much more entertaining life than being a journalist who ends up conforming to the designs of power or where the money is, or where things can be easier.

It’s more fun and satisfying to let yourself be carried away by the conditions that led you to study journalism in the first place. No one goes into journalism to get rich. All of us who study journalism have the dream of seeking the truth.