Argentine President Javier Milei's brief social media endorsement of the Libra memecoin turned sour as an estimated 86% of traders that took stake in the cryptocurrency lost a combined $251M in a swift crash,

The budding scandal in Argentina has been dubbed locally as “cryptogate” and has links to a diverse cast of characters, including a high-profile U.S. influencer, a crypto developer who uses the pseudonym “Meow,” and a 28-year-old American entrepreneur who said he helped launch first lady Melania Trump’s meme coin last month.

An estimated 86% of crypto traders that took positions in a memecoin endorsed by Argentine President Javier Milei on Friday ended up losing money, according to research firm Nansen.

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

Argentinian president Javier Milei is facing calls for impeachment and a possible criminal investigation for his role in the rise and fast collapse of a memecoin.

Here’s what happened: Late Friday night, Milei fired off a tweet lending his support to a cryptocurrency token called $LIBRA. Milei described the coin to his nearly four million followers as a “private project dedicated to encouraging the growth of the Argentine economy,” claiming that it would be “funding small Argentine businesses and ventures.”

Argentine President Javier Milei is facing a corruption probe into his promotion of a meme coin, which is a highly speculative form of cryptocurrency that’s seen a recent surge in popularity after President Donald Trump and his wife launched tokens of their own.

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.

Argentina's president faces his first major political crisis as the so-called "cryptogate" scandal shakes his credibility. The failed cryptocurrency endorsement sparks legal trouble, political fallout and media backlash.