Argentine leader allegedly copied lines from the character who plays the North American president in the series “The West Wing”
The president of Argentina, Javier Milei (La Libertad Avanza, right), was accused of plagiarizing a dialogue from the North American series “The West Wing: Behind the Scenes of Power” in his speech at the 79th General Assembly of the UN (United Nations).
According to analysis by the Argentine newspaper Page 12 and the columnist for La Nation Carlos Pagnithe Argentine leader would have copied excerpts from the speech given by the character Josiah Bartlet, who is the president of the United States in the series. The protagonist was played by actor Martin Sheen. The scene takes place in episode 15 of season 4.
The copy would have taken place in the final 2 minutes of the Argentine president’s speech. Read below the similarities between Milei’s lines and the character Josiah Bartlet:
Milei: “We believe in freedom of expression for everyone”; Josiah Bartlet: “We are in favor of freedom of expression everywhere”.
Milei: “We believe in religious freedom for all”; Josiah Bartlet: “We are for religious freedom everywhere”.
Milei: “And as in these times what happens in one country quickly affects others, we believe that all people should live free from tyranny and oppression”; Josiah Bartlet: “And since in our time a bomb can be built in your country and brought to mine, what happens in your country is my problem. This is why we advocate freedom from tyranny everywhere.”.
Milei: “[…] This idea should not remain in mere words. It has to be supported by diplomatic, economic and material facts”; Josiah Bartlet: “[…] This fundamental idea cannot be addressed simply with our support. We must face it with our strength. Diplomatically, economically and materially”.
Argentine media outlets claim that the speech was written by Santiago Caputo, one of the Argentine president’s closest advisors.
On August 4, the columnist for La Nation Hugo Alconada Mon said in a text that Caputo is a big fan of the series and its writer, Aaron Sorkin. According to Mon, he watched all the seasons “7 to 9 times”.
Watch Milei’s speech at the UN (14min4s):
MILEI AND PLAGIARISM
This is not the first time that Javier Milei has been accused of plagiarism. He would have committed the practice in his books “Pandenomics” and “El camino del libertario”, in the prologue of the book “4000 años de Controles de Precios y Salarios” and in articles published in media outlets The Chronicler and Infobae.
THE WEST WING
The North American television series has 7 seasons. It premiered in 1999 and was broadcast until 2006 on NBC. In Brazil, it was broadcast by Warner Channel from 1999 to 2006 and for the SBT from 2001 to 2007. It is currently not available on streaming in the country.
Created by television writer and producer Aaron Sorkin, it portrays the day-to-day life of the United States Presidency, focusing on the president’s team and the political, social and personal challenges they face when running the government.
The name in English “The West Wing” refers to the West Wing of the White House, where the president’s office (the Oval Office) is located. The series was awarded 26 Emmys, the main award in North American television, including the award for Best Drama Series.
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