Trump and Rubio Weigh Firing Ambassador Guilfoyle Amid Misconduct Claims
President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considering removing U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after reports she sought a six-figure credit card bailout from a donor and faced mounting workplace and ethics allegations.
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are weighing whether to fire U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of reports alleging misconduct in Athens, including an attempt to secure a six-figure credit card bailout from a Trump donor. A senior U.S. official told The Associated Press that both men are «extremely pissed off» by Guilfoyle's reported conduct and that a decision on her removal would likely come this week, after the Columbus Day holiday. No departure has been confirmed.
The scrutiny intensified after The Wall Street Journal reported that Guilfoyle asked Trump donor Eric Deters to pay off a $100,000 American Express bill shortly before her Senate confirmation hearing. According to messages reviewed by the Journal, she urged Deters to wire the money directly to American Express, saying the transaction would not leave a paper trail, while offering to help him gain access to senior Trump administration officials. Deters said he never made the payment. Guilfoyle's attorney, Jesse Binnall, disputed the authenticity of the messages.
The bailout allegation followed an earlier Journal investigation into Guilfoyle's conduct in Greece, including claims that she promoted the interests of Greek construction and energy company Aktor Group and allowed its registered lobbyist, Christos Marafatsos, to accompany her to private diplomatic meetings with senior officials. The Journal also reported that Guilfoyle suggested at a dinner with Greek officials that the U.S. would undermine their government, citing political developments in Romania. Greece's foreign minister has since said there was no need to summon Guilfoyle for an explanation because the country's energy minister denied that any threat had been made.
Separately, the State Department's Office of 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 a report from the Daily Mail. Sources described a hostile workplace in which Guilfoyle allegedly threatened to fire employees. They also claim she demoted members of her security detail over minor incidents, including an officer who reportedly failed to answer a 4 a.m. request for ice while she was vacationing in Mykonos. The inspector general's office declined to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation. Binnall told the Daily Mail that «any implication of wrongdoing by the Ambassador is unsupported.»
The allegations have drawn scrutiny from congressional Democrats, including Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, who have called for a review of Guilfoyle's conduct. Meeks urged her removal if the allegations were substantiated. Vice President JD Vance addressed the controversy Friday, cautioning against rushing to judgment while acknowledging that misconduct should carry consequences. «Let's actually see what the facts are. Let's see what the truth is,» Vance told reporters in Ohio. «And obviously, if there was something bad that happened, then people have to suffer consequences for it.»
Rubio, who visited Greece this week and delivered remarks with the backdrop of the Acropolis, declined to address the allegations directly. «You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it's the gospel. It's not the gospel,» Rubio told reporters Thursday. A day earlier, he had defended Guilfoyle's performance, saying, «Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.»
Trump nominated Guilfoyle to the diplomatic post in December 2024. A former California prosecutor and Fox News Channel personality, she previously served as a prominent surrogate and fundraiser for the president. Guilfoyle was engaged to Donald Trump Jr. for four years, but the two publicly split in December 2024 — the same month the president nominated her to be ambassador to Greece. The president's eldest son married Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson in May of this year. Guilfoyle was also previously married to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, from 2001 to 2006, when he was serving as mayor of San Francisco.
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