U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned on Oct. 13 following a request by the Trump administration amid allegations of misconduct.
Earlier in the day, White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said in a briefing that Guilfoyle was asked to step down from her role. President Donald Trump on Monday indicated that he wasn’t pleased with reports about the ambassador in recent days.
What Her Announcement Said
“Serving as the United States Ambassador to Greece has been the honor of a lifetime,” Guilfoyle wrote in a post on X on Tuesday in announcing her resignation.
Guilfoyle said that “recent allegations against me” are not true. “These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity.”
“I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional. I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service,” she said. “My gratitude and respect for President Trump and Secretary Rubio remain unwavering.”
“I am proud of what we accomplished together, and I will always be a loyal supporter of President Trump and his mission to Make America Great Again.”
What the Allegations Entail
Guilfoyle, 57, has been accused of misconduct, including allegedly asking a donor to pay for a $100,000 bill before her 2025 confirmation hearing before the Senate.
Her lawyers said in a statement that she asked the donor, Eric Deters, for money, but that he had owed her money for work that she carried out “long before” her ambassador nomination. Deters, they added, had missed payments to her that were included in a contract.
“When Ms. Guilfoyle was preparing to leave private life for public service, she did what any professional does and tried to close out her outstanding receivables,” the lawyers said.
Allegations that she abused her ambassador role to travel were also false, the lawyers said, adding that Guilfoyle followed and obtained Department of State guidance and followed the department’s travel rules.
Those allegations were outlined in a Wall Street Journal report published this past week, which had cited anonymous sources.
Deters, a legal consultant and Trump donor, told NBC News in an interview published on Oct. 8 that Guilfoyle “was begging me” and “was so desperate for that $100,000.”
“It was a quid pro quo,” Deters said. “She said I could ask her for anything and everything in Trump world. There was no request too big.”
Speaking to CNN on Oct. 13, Deters alleged that she sought the money “before her confirmation” last year.
When asked about why he waited so long to come forward, he referred to an alleged medical corruption scandal in Ohio. He did not elaborate on how it was connected to Guilfoyle.
Deters said that he will be speaking to Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) in the future.
Democrats Demanded She Be Fired, Investigated
Before her resignation, Democrats in Congress had called for an investigation. And after Guilfoyle’s announcement on Tuesday, Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee released a statement on X saying that this isn’t over.
“Resigning does not shield her from accountability. Guilfoyle used her position as a Trump official to get rich, while American families struggle with the cost of living,” the committee Democrats said.
An oversight investigation must be launched, they added, to “understand how this happened and hold the administration accountable.”
Earlier in October, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) sent a letter to Rubio that expressed his worries about reports surrounding Guilfoyle’s conduct, citing claims in the Wall Street Journal report about her alleged connections with companies in Greece and Albania.
White House Gives Response
On Oct. 12, Trump told reporters that his administration was “not happy” with the reports about Guilfoyle.
“She went to Greece. She was doing a good job, but we didn’t like what we were reading,” he stated. Meanwhile, he said he has not spoken with the former ambassador.
Trump also said that “she wasn’t a member of my family” and dated his son, Donald Trump Jr., “a long time ago.”
In her first news conference as press secretary on Tuesday morning, Zacharia confirmed that Trump had asked Guilfoyle to step down.
“We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign. She has been a wonderful asset to the team and we wish her well,” Zacharia said.
Both Vice President JD Vance and Rubio told reporters that claims against Guilfoyle were unproven.
“These are accusations,” and “we don’t try people in the court of public opinion,” Vance said in Ohio.
“Let’s actually see what the facts are. Let’s see what the truth is, and obviously if there was something bad that happened, then people have to suffer consequences for it,” he continued.
Separately, Rubio was critical of the media reports during a press gaggle in Athens, Greece, this past week.
“We don’t conduct these things in a press conference on a tarmac in a foreign country because you wrote a story or somebody else wrote a story because some source gave it to you,” Rubio said on Oct. 8.
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