Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle may soon be fired amid reports she sought a six-figure credit card bailout from a Trump donor while offering access to administration officials, adding to mounting allegations over her conduct in Athens. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are "extremely pissed off" by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and are weighing her removal, The reported Sunday, citing a senior U.S. official. The official told the AP that a decision on what action to take would likely come this week after Monday’s Columbus Day holiday.
No departure has been confirmed. Guilfoyle, onetime fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., came under scrutiny this week after The Wall Street Journal reported that she asked Trump donor Eric Deters to pay off a $100,000 American Express bill shortly before her Senate confirmation hearing. MARCO RUBIO ANNOUNCES SWEEPING FINANCIAL SANCTIONS AGAINST THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT According to messages reviewed by the Journal, Guilfoyle 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 allegations 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.
FORMER TRUMP CABINET OFFICIAL HAD 'INAPPROPRIATELY CLOSE' RELATIONSHIP WITH BODYGUARD, IG FINDS 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. 3 SECRET SERVICE OFFICIALS UNDER INTERNAL INVESTIGATION FOR POTENTIAL MISCONDUCT Sources described a hostile workplace in which Guilfoyle allegedly threatened to fire employees.
They also claim that 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, D-N.H., and Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., who have called for a review of Guilfoyle's conduct. Meeks urged her removal if the allegations were substantiated.
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