Matteo Salvini is "a charlatan", "ridiculous", "incompetent", "a right-wing Renzi", a politician who makes "under-the-table deals with Renzi for his brother-in-law Denis Verdini" .
True, they were not allies at the time. But the internal chats in FdI at the time of the Conte I government , anything but tender towards Matteo Salvini, sharpened the fibrillations between Giorgia Meloni's party and that of the deputy prime minister.
Also because one of the most scathing comments is from Undersecretary Giovanbattista Fazzolari, Giorgia Meloni's right-hand man: «The minister bimbominkia strikes again» , the comment written on WhatsApp after the visit to Israel of the then Interior Minister, who defined the members of Hezbollah as «Islamic terrorists», opening a diplomatic clash with Lebanon.
" Jokes from several years ago, made in a small chat at a time when relations between the two parties were not great ," downplays Fazzolari. "Italians know well that, with the method of publishing private conversations, taken out of context, few would be saved and even the best friendships would be ruined. I feel respect and friendship for Matteo Salvini, it is also thanks to him that the center-right has returned to government and is obtaining great results for Italy."
The chats are contained in the book by the journalist Giacomo Salvini of Fatto Quotidiano, “Fratelli di chat, storia segreta del partito di Giorgia Meloni”. The previews released yesterday have greatly irritated the prime minister and the upper echelons of the party, where the hunt has begun for whoever provided the material to the journalist.
The chats in the book go from 2018 to 2024. Some excerpts tell of FdI's attempt to emphasize the inconsistencies of the governing League, for example on the excise duties in Liguria in the first maneuver of Conte I. But also Meloni's anger for the 2020 background according to which for Salvini she risked "Fini syndrome". "What a shame", commented the leader of FdI: "In my opinion the message that needs to get across, which is the truth, is that the League is a party that does not keep its word. You can be a right-wing party if you have no honor" .
Today, in an interview on Il Tempo, Salvini also spoke about it: «Even if I'm not overly touchy , it's not nice to read certain things, but these are jokes written in another political era that, I'm sure, do not reflect the current thinking of the allies. Giorgia will be able to confirm this ».
Salvini is sketching out, but his allies are not unaware of his renewed activism. Yesterday he urgently convened the board of Lega Lazio, which in the Region (led by FdI) is pushing for more delegations and adequate positions in the subsidiaries. And this morning he called a press conference to say that the tax agreement "has yielded poor results", therefore "it needs to be reviewed". Relaunching the scrapping of tax bills for 10 million Italians.
Then he returned again to the incriminating chats: " Certainly these unpleasant epithets, dating back to years ago, when Lega and Fratelli d'Italia were not together, have a weight, if they were made tomorrow they would have an evidently different weight. Then I keep to myself. I feel very good in this majority, I work very well both with Forza Italia and with Fratelli d'Italia, I believe that at the Ministry of Transport I have done what some have been expecting for decades".
(Unioneonline/L)
