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U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing whether to remove Kimberly Guilfoyle as U.S. ambassador to Greece as the State Department investigates allegations of misconduct, including claims that she accepted lavish gifts and sought money in exchange for access to administration officials.
"We’re looking at it. Yeah, we’re not happy," Trump told reporters Monday as he left the White House for Ohio, when asked whether he was considering firing Guilfoyle.
The comments follow a Wall Street Journal report that Guilfoyle allegedly asked Trump supporter Eric Deters to pay a $100,000 American Express bill in exchange for access to senior administration officials. Deters shared text and Signal messages to support his account but said he never made the payment.
Guilfoyle’s lawyers deny wrongdoing, arguing that the money involved unpaid fees for travel, public appearances and speaking engagements before her nomination. They have also defended her use of private aircraft, saying she followed State Department rules.
The newspaper further reported that Guilfoyle promoted the interests of Greek construction and energy company Aktor Group during official engagements and allowed a lobbyist representing the firm to attend meetings with senior U.S. officials and foreign counterparts.
The allegations have prompted Democratic lawmakers to seek answers from Secretary of State Marco Rubio about whether she used her diplomatic role to advance private business interests.
Guilfoyle has also faced scrutiny over reported comments at a private dinner in Athens in March, when she allegedly told Greek officials that Washington could bring down foreign governments, including Greece.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the exchange took place during a dinner attended by Greek and U.S. officials. The conversation reportedly turned to the expected collapse of Romania’s government under then-Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.
According to the newspaper, Guilfoyle got into a heated exchange with Greek Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou before bringing up Romania’s political situation.
“We can do this to any country we want. We can do it here too,” she reportedly told those present.
Papastavrou pushed back, arguing that Washington could not replace Greece’s government because Greek voters had elected it, according to the report.
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