Peter Lamelas, nominated by U.S. President Donald Trump to become ambassador to Argentina, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee he would travel across Argentina’s provinces to “monitor the governors”, block agreements with China and support President Javier Milei in October’s mid-term elections. He also pledged to work so that former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who is serving house arrest after a corruption conviction, “receives the justice she deserves”. Kirchner responded from her Buenos Aires residence, calling the remarks an unacceptable intrusion into Argentina’s internal affairs and warning that the country faced a choice of “Lamelas or Argentina”. She likened the episode to historic U.S. interference in Argentine politics and accused Washington of backing Milei’s electoral campaign. Provincial leaders quickly echoed the criticism. Tierra del Fuego’s Gustavo Melella said his province “will not be disciplined by anyone”, while La Rioja’s Ricardo Quintela and Buenos Aires governor Axel Kicillof denounced the comments as a violation of national sovereignty and signalled they would refuse meetings with the envoy if he is confirmed. The outcry highlights growing sensitivity in Buenos Aires over U.S. involvement in local politics and the country’s expanding ties with Beijing. Lamelas’s confirmation is pending in the U.S. Senate, but Argentine officials have already urged Washington to clarify the diplomat’s stance to avoid a formal protest once he arrives in the post.