Original article: Steinert vuelve como pesadilla para Kast: oposición evalúa acusación constitucional tras duro dictamen de Contraloría

Trinidad Steinert Becomes a Major Challenge for Kast: Opposition Considers Impeachment Following Contraloría’s Damning Report

Trinidad Steinert emerges as a significant concern for José Antonio Kast’s administration, as opposition lawmakers weigh the possibility of initiating a constitutional accusation against the former Minister of Public Security. This comes after the General Comptroller concluded that she overstepped her authority by requesting information regarding an ongoing criminal investigation during her tenure.

Legislators are not only targeting the former state secretary but are also holding Kast accountable for her actions.

The trigger for this renewed political offensive is the report N° D344/2026 issued on July 1 by General Comptroller Dorothy Pérez, which determined that Steinert’s request for information from the Police Investigations (PDI) exceeded the legal powers granted to her. Initially viewed as within her authority, her request deviated by demanding a detailed list of officials, including names, ID numbers, ranks, and disciplinary records from a unit linked to the investigations of the so-called «Chen Clan» in Tarapacá.

The Comptroller was clear in stating that such authority must be exercised for institutional planning purposes and cannot be used in ways that may jeopardize an ongoing investigation. This constitutes a breach of the principle of legality.

Responses from the opposition came swiftly. Deputy Luis Cuello (PC) deemed the findings «of the utmost gravity» and directly challenged President Kast, demanding to clarify whether he was aware of the illegal actions attributed to his former minister.

Cuello made it clear that he would support the formation of an investigative committee as he believes that «there is a clear cause for a constitutional accusation«. This stance is backed by Socialist Deputy Raúl Silva, one of the proponents of the request to the Comptroller, who indicated that his party would analyze the case to seek «all the political and administrative responsibilities that arise, not ruling out any of the tools provided by the Constitution».

The Socialist diagnosis is that this is not merely a minor administrative error. Deputy Silva emphasized that it is “an abuse of power (…) and an improper use of her functions for personal ends”, noting that the individual expected to protect the police ended up exposing her own officials.

Senator and PS President Paulina Vodanovic backed this analysis, highlighting that the report confirms an unsustainable situation and that responsibility does not rest solely with Steinert; the government must also take accountability for having appointed her.

«Not only did she fail to execute her responsibilities, but we also see the Comptroller indicating that she engaged in actions that deviated from her performance,» she stated in comments reflected by El Mostrador.

“The Government Has Resort to Improvisation in National Security”

The focus of scrutiny inevitably shifts to Kast. Deputy Emilia Schneider (FA) characterized the situation as a demonstration of the «lack of rigor and improvisation» with which the government has approached security issues. In a similar vein, her colleague Tatiana Urrutia challenged the Executive to respond, asserting that “the comptroller confirms that the government is clueless about the issue and has resorted to improvisation in national security”.

Deputy Jorge Brito, also from FA, argued that the fact that Steinert had no security plan and «acted illegally as acknowledged by the Comptroleria» warrants “a review of sanctioning processes against her”.

Beyond the constitutional accusation, the opposition is evaluating all available tools. The establishment of an investigative committee and the demand for the new Minister of Security to provide an opinion on the matter are on the table. Deputy Alfonso de Urresti (PS) warned that poor performance not only harms the PDI but also “weakens the importance of the fight against crime”.

The lingering question in the political air is whether President Kast was aware of this situation: “Did they perhaps receive a preliminary report? Is this why former Minister Steinert was dismissed?”, Schneider questioned.