The Garofani case and the meeting between Meloni and Mattarella. What happened, from the beginning

An article published on Tuesday 18 November by the editor-in-chief of La Verità Maurizio Belpietro and entitled 'The Quirinale's plan to stop Meloni' with political scenarios, attributed to Francesco Saverio Garofani, advisor to the President of the Republic and former Pd deputy, seized - according to the newspaper - in a public place. It is the casus belli that has caused the tension between Fratelli d'Italia and the Quirinale to escalate to the highest level. Before the partial detente propitiated by a meeting at the Colle, the following day, between Giorgia Meloni and Sergio Mattarella.

In Belpietro's article he writes that 'Mattarella's advisers are apparently agitating in the hope of tripping Meloni'. The aim would be not only 'to prevent a victory for Giorgia Meloni (in the next general election, ed.) but also "that a non-Left majority in the next legislature could decide on Sergio Mattarella's replacement". This is why 'a large national civic list', a sort of re-edition of the Ulivo, is being 'reasoned about'. But this 'may not be enough and so Mattarella's advisor, Francesco Saverio Garofani, invokes providence: "A year and a half is not enough to find someone to beat the centre-right, it would take a providential shake-up'". But that's not all, on the same page there is a second piece signed by Ignazio Mangrano, a pseudonym 'to cover sources', in which he recounts the details of 'the informal meeting' in which Garofani complained about the state of health of the centre-left, wishing, among other things, 'an even more decisive intervention by Romano Prodi' and relying on the political activism of the former director of the Revenue Agency Ernesto Maria Ruffini.

Asking for a denial is the leader of the FdI group in the Chamber of Deputies, Galeazzo Bignami (officially on his own initiative and without consulting the Prime Minister beforehand) who, without mincing words, invites the Head of State's advisor to clarify what has been reported in the newspaper.

A request to which the Colle replied in a few lines, expressing 'astonishment' at the statement by the Melonian group leader 'that seems to give credence to yet another attack on the Presidency of the Republic that borders on the ridiculous'

Bignami tries to correct the shot by specifying that he was not referring to the president of the Republic, 'I do not allow myself to involve the Colle'. But he insists on asking for a denial from the person directly concerned: 'If there isn't one,' he says, 'we take note that it is Garofani's opinion'. A line also shared by the front line of the party, starting with the powerful undersecretary to the presidency of the Council Giovanbattista Fazzolari, communications coordinator of Fdi and the government. No doubts from the party nor from Palazzo Chigi about Mattarella's institutional loyalty, Fazzolari put on record, but 'Bignami simply asked for a denial' from Garofani that would have resolved any controversy.