Miguel Ángel Rodríguez counterattacks over Ayuso's "penthouse-gate": accuses Sánchez of lying and diverts focus to Begoña Gómez

Miguel Ángel Rodríguez (MAR), Chief of Staff of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, accused Pedro Sánchez this Monday of "lying" due to his statements about the controversial luxury penthouse acquired by the Community of Madrid. His response, however, is limited to denying that the regional government bought an official residence for the president and leaves intact the main doubts surrounding an operation paid with 6.3 million euros of public money.

The President of the Government had stated during his interview on 'Hoy por Hoy', on 'Cadena SER', that Ayuso "wanted to buy a huge penthouse with the money of the people of Madrid and she was caught". Rodríguez replied a few hours later, assuring that Sánchez "is lying" and that Madrid "never bought a residence for the president".

MAR also took advantage of his message to take the discussion to Begoña Gómez, the president's wife. "The one who has been caught is his wife doing dirty business. And for that, she will be judged. That is brutal: they are going forward," he wrote, without providing any new explanation about the property acquired by the public company Planifica Madrid.

The public purchase that MAR still does not explain

The precision used by Rodríguez avoids the core of the controversy. The Community of Madrid bought a luxury home in April for 6.3 million euros and justified the operation by the need to have a space for offices and meetings while the works of the Real Casa de Correos, headquarters of the regional Presidency in Puerta del Sol, were being carried out.

The characteristics requested during the search also did not easily fit with conventional offices. Ayuso's Government informed a specialized real estate agency that it needed a home of between 250 and 400 square meters and with a large terrace. The operation was also accompanied by a confidentiality agreement imposed before the first visit to the property.

The regional Executive announced the sale of the property shortly after the acquisition came to light and assured that it would allocate the funds to the reconstruction of the damages caused by the July fires. That decision frustrated the intended use, but it did not clarify why that particular home was chosen, who participated in the selection, or why the purchase was surrounded by such secrecy.

The public company itself even used the protection of third parties to refuse to hand over part of the file. That argument lost strength when the seller, Astrid Gil-Casares, authorized in writing the publication of the details.

From "I don't give a damn" to the attack against Sánchez

Monday's offensive contrasts with the disdain shown by Rodríguez when he was directly asked by 'ElConstitucional.es'. Last week, the Chief of Staff assured that he "didn't give a damn about this story" and maintained that the controversy had ended because the property was for sale.

"It has been shown that this is not the case, the story is over," he then stated about the possibility that the property could become an official residence for Ayuso. He also admitted that he did not know who the seller was and claimed to have no information about the confidentiality agreement used in the operation.

Three days later, Rodríguez has hardened his tone to respond to Sánchez, but still offers no data on the process followed by Planifica Madrid. The discussion about whether the penthouse would formally receive the designation of official residence also does not clarify why 6.3 million euros were paid for a luxury home, why a large terrace was requested, or what meetings required a property of those characteristics.

The penthouse remains for sale while full access to the purchase documentation is pending. MAR's new message adds a political attack against Sánchez, but no answer to the questions that the Ayuso Government has been dragging since the operation came to light.