Athens, October 14 — Kimberly Guilfoyle confirmed on Tuesday that she has resigned from her position as U.S. ambassador to Greece, following several media reports of improper conduct, including allegations that she asked a donor to help pay her credit card bill. The allegations, which Guilfoyle denies, include threatening a host country official, accepting improper gifts and services, and offering to use her influence inside the administration in return for the payment of a large American Express credit card bill.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Guilfoyle had asked a Trump donor and supporter to pay a substantial credit card bill just before her confirmation hearing, promising him access to administration officials if he did. Guilfoyle’s lawyers, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, denied she had done anything wrong and claimed that the money she was seeking from the Trump donor was payment for public appearances and speaking engagements that predate her ambassadorial nomination and that they had not been paid.
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said the Trump administration had asked Guilfoyle to resign. President Donald Trump said of Guilfoyle, “She was doing a good job, but we didn’t like what we were reading.” Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to express his concern about Guilfoyle’s conduct, saying she is unfit to represent the United States and should be removed from her position.
Meeks called on the State Department’s Office of the Inspector General to immediately investigate Guilfoyle’s conduct as potential violations of federal law, State Department regulations and ethics requirements, including abuse of authority and conflicts of interest. The resignation comes amid growing scrutiny over the conduct of U.S. diplomats and the ethical standards expected of those in the administration.
As the situation unfolds, the focus remains on the implications of this resignation for the U.S. diplomatic mission in Greece and the broader scrutiny of the Trump administration’s handling of ambassadorial appointments. The coming days will likely see further developments as the Office of the Inspector General moves forward with its investigation.
