Argentine Congressman Accused of Taking Drugs in Session Says He Was Scratching His Navel With a Pen

A provincial lawmaker in Argentina has denied allegations that he consumed drugs during a legislative session, insisting the ballpoint pen seen near his face was being used to scratch his navel.

Juan Manuel Rossi, a deputy for the Juntos por Entre Ríos bloc, became the subject of intense online mockery this week after footage from a legislative session showed him lifting an object towards his nose.

The clip, recorded in the Entre Ríos Chamber of Deputies, went viral on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, after viewers interpreted a gesture Rossi made during the session as possible drug use. Rossi has categorically rejected the allegation and challenged his critics to a public showdown involving toxicology results.

What the Video Shows

The footage corresponds to the 11th ordinary session of the Entre Ríos Chamber of Deputies, held on Wednesday, 29 July 2026, though the clip only began circulating widely two months later, on 22 September, via a parody account on X.

In it, Rossi is seated beside fellow legislator María Elena Romero as she addresses the chamber; he can be seen bringing a finger towards his nose while partially covering his face with his right hand, in which he was holding an object that was not clearly identifiable on camera.

The session in question dealt with a debate over pension reform legislation.

The controversy followed a heated exchange involving Rossi and Justicialist Party deputies Laura Stratta and Andrea Zoff, who questioned the timeframe and procedure used by the ruling bloc to issue rulings on executive branch bills; Rossi raised his voice while defending the committees' procedures.

'Victim of a Smear Campaign'

Rossi moved quickly to respond to the allegations, publishing a lengthy rebuttal on his X account. 'I'm the victim of a smear campaign on social media trying to damage my image by calling me a 'druggie'. In the original video, you can clearly see it's a pen, which I use to scratch my belly button,' the official wrote.

He also alleged that the criticism came from 'the same shady operators from the Kirchnerist PJ who work to undermine our province's governor and his officials.'

Rossi challenged his accusers, saying: 'I'll take a toxicology test today, and in return, you explain to the people of Entre Ríos the corruption conviction against Urribarri, the fraudulent contracts at the Legislature, and all the ongoing investigations into what happened to the province's money,' he added.

Mauricio Colello, secretary-general of the Entre Ríos provincial government, publicly backed the deputy and alleged that the footage had been manipulated using artificial intelligence. 'It crosses every limit. Not everything goes in politics, much less in life.

When the other side has no ideas or proposals, this is what's left,' Colello said. No independent technical examination confirming AI manipulation has been publicly reported.

What Is a 'Birome'?

Central to Rossi's defence is a distinctly Argentine object: the 'birome', the local term for a ballpoint pen, named after its Hungarian-Argentine co-inventor László Bíró. Rossi said the object seen in his hand was a birome that he was using to scratch his belly button.

The explanation drew mockery and scepticism from some social-media users. One commenter wrote it 'would've been less embarrassing to say he got hit with a racket', questioning why the deputy was bringing his hand near his face and calling the scene 'just weird'.

Another commenter sarcastically suggested that admitting to drug use might have drawn less ridicule than the pen explanation.

The footage prompted allegations of drug use online, but the video itself does not show Rossi consuming a substance. Rossi has denied consuming drugs and offered to undergo a toxicology test.