USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Trump Weighs Firing Kimberly Guilfoyle As U.S. Ambassador To Greece After Misconduct Reports
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Trump says he is weighing firing Guilfoyle amid misconduct reports Rubio and administration reportedly angry over alleged improper conduct, considering removal
Firing Looms in Athens
President Donald Trump said he is “looking at” firing U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after reports of alleged misconduct in Athens, and Trump added, “We’re not happy.”
The State Department’s Office of the Inspector General is investigating Guilfoyle, and the probe followed reports in The Wall Street Journal about misconduct in her role as ambassador.
A series of text messages seen by the BBC, and first reported by the Wall Street Journal, appear to show Guilfoyle asking for money from Eric Deters, a long-time Trump ally.
The BBC also reported that Guilfoyle wrote, “It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express,” in a Signal message.
Guilfoyle was appointed as envoy to Athens in December 2024, a month before Trump returned to the White House as president.
Rubio’s Public Pushback
Marco Rubio said, “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here,” while he was in Athens, but Rubio later berated journalists for asking about the allegations and said, “You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it’s the gospel.” A senior U.S. official said Trump and Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely decide on action after Monday’s federal holiday. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso called the reports “troubling” and said, “I would assume the State Department would be conducting that,” referring to an investigation.
The AP reported that Trump’s comments came a day after The Associated Press, citing a senior U.S. official, said Trump and Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely decide on her future this week. Guilfoyle’s lawyers denied wrongdoing and said Deters owed her about $150,000 for speeches and consulting work performed before her ambassadorship.
State Department Oversight
The State Department’s Office of the Inspector General opened an investigation into allegations involving Guilfoyle’s treatment of embassy employees, private travel, acceptance of gifts and relationships with business interests, according to Fox News.
“‘Asking a client to pay for work already done is not corruption.”
The inspector general’s office declined to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.
Democrats on the Senate and House foreign affairs committees have been calling on the state department to investigate her conduct in Greece.
Trump told reporters, “Well, we’re looking at it. Yeah, we’re not happy,” when asked if he was considering firing Guilfoyle.
Guilfoyle’s lawyers said, “Asking a client to pay for work already done is not corruption. It is the opposite of corruption,” in a two-page statement on 12 October.