Guilfoyle Resigns as US Ambassador to Greece
Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, resigned on Tuesday at the request of the White House amid a State Department inspector general investigation into allegations of misconduct, including a claim that she sought a $100,000 payment from a Trump donor in exchange for access to senior administration officials.
The White House confirmed the resignation at the first press briefing of new press secretary Katie Zacharia, who told reporters that Guilfoyle had been asked to step down.
“We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign,” Zacharia said. “She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.”
Guilfoyle announced her departure in a post on X, writing that serving as ambassador “has been the honor of a lifetime” while directly addressing the allegations against her. “These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity,” she said.
How the resignation unfolded
News of the resignation was reported by NBC News, which said Guilfoyle, 57, had been under investigation by the State Department’s inspector general’s office, according to two people familiar with the decision.
Guilfoyle, a former Fox News personality and top campaign surrogate for President Donald Trump, is the former fiancee of Donald Trump Jr. and the ex-wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. She was the first woman to hold the ambassador post after being confirmed in 2025.
President Trump, speaking to reporters Tuesday, said he had not spoken to Guilfoyle directly. “She went to Greece. She was doing a good job, but we didn’t like what we were reading,” he said, adding that “she was always very nice.”
Just a day earlier, Trump’s tone had been firmer. Asked whether he was considering firing her, he said: “We’re looking at it. We’re not happy.”
The pressure campaign escalated quickly. After reports about her conduct first surfaced last week, Guilfoyle believed she could save her job and was calling allies as recently as Monday, according to a source familiar with the matter. Senior White House aides, the source added, were concerned about what an inspector general probe might reveal that had not yet been made public — and that could prove embarrassing for the administration.
The $100,000 allegation
The investigation followed reporting by The Wall Street Journal and others on allegations of misconduct during her tenure. The most detailed accusation came from Eric Deters, a controversial Kentucky Trump donor, former lawyer and former congressional candidate.
According to ABC News, Deters alleged that Guilfoyle asked him to pay her $100,000 American Express bill in July 2025 — days before her Senate confirmation hearing — in exchange for access to senior administration officials.
“She was so desperate for that $100,000. It was a quid pro quo,” Deters told NBC News. He told ABC News the request was “absolutely” in exchange for something, adding: “She said I could ask her for anything and everything in Trump world. There was no request too big.”
Deters said he did not make the payment. He provided what he said were messages from Guilfoyle, including one in which she wrote, “Honey please I need you to get this done for me today.” A text message also appeared to show Guilfoyle instructing him to wire the money directly to American Express because “it won’t show up anywhere” that way.
Guilfoyle’s attorneys, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, disputed the messages’ authenticity and said Deters owed her money for speaking engagements — a claim he denies. They also rejected any impropriety involving her travel, saying she “sought, obtained and followed State Department guidance and followed the Department’s travel regulations.”
Deters has his own credibility questions: his law license was suspended in 2012 and the Kentucky Supreme Court refused to reinstate it in 2021, citing a “notorious propensity” for filing “malicious or frivolous lawsuits.” He has said he sought Guilfoyle’s help pressing for the extradition of an Ohio doctor who fled to Pakistan.
Broader allegations and political fallout
The probe reportedly covers a wider range of claims, including possible substance abuse, use of private planes and helicopters, close relationships with an energy and construction company, and improper acceptance of gifts. NBC News said it had not independently confirmed the allegations.
The affair also demonstrated the political risk of installing allies in diplomatic posts. Within the administration, Vice President JD Vance said last week that “these are accusations” and “we don’t try people in the court of public opinion,” while adding that he disapproves of anyone “selling access to another government official.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio initially defended Guilfoyle, chiding a reporter for raising the allegations during a stop in Athens. “I don’t even know if it’s true or not true,” Rubio said. “It’s just not going to work that way.”
Asked Tuesday whether she would open her own investigation, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro deferred to the State Department. “I think right now that there is an inspector general investigation in the Department of State,” she said. “We’ll probably wait to see what comes, what happens with that.”
The controversy resonated in Greece, where opposition SYRIZA lawmaker Pavlos Polakis criticized government figures who had cultivated close ties to Guilfoyle. Greek government official Giannis Papastavrou has denied a Wall Street Journal report that he was pressured or threatened by her.
What’s next
The inspector general’s investigation is expected to continue even after Guilfoyle’s departure, and its findings could determine whether the matter ends with her resignation or produces further consequences. The White House has not said who will replace her, and questions remain about how much of the probe’s findings will be made public.
Guilfoyle, for her part, has signaled she intends to fight the allegations rather than retreat from public life. Whether that fight plays out in the media, in court, or before the inspector general remains an open question.