Reports that Kimberly Guilfoyle engaged in conduct deemed improper — and potentially unlawful — both before and during her posting as U.S. Ambassador to Greece have prompted Donald Trump and Marco Rubio to weigh her removal from that role. According to a senior U.S. official speaking Sunday, both Trump and Rubio were described as deeply angered by the conduct attributed to Guilfoyle, with a decision on any response expected to come later in the week, following the Columbus Day holiday on Monday.
A source with knowledge of the internal deliberations, speaking without authorisation to be named, described Rubio's unhappiness as going well beyond ordinary irritation — owing in part to his visit to Athens just days before, where Guilfoyle had been present throughout nearly all of his scheduled engagements, offering him a warm greeting upon his arrival, all while the allegations were already in circulation.
Multiple accounts published by a broadcaster described as credible detailed allegations against Guilfoyle spanning a threat directed at a foreign government official, the receipt of gifts and services deemed improper, and a purported offer to leverage her position within the administration in exchange for settlement of a substantial credit card debt.
No public statement from Guilfoyle has addressed the reports, though her attorney maintains she acted within the bounds of the law, and the U.S. Embassy in Athens has offered what amounts to a quiet show of support. Rubio, who had initially spoken in Guilfoyle's defence after the first report surfaced, has since chosen not to address the mounting claims publicly.
Rubio told reporters gathered in Athens on Thursday morning — ahead of his departure — that the ambassador had performed well, and that he was in no position to verify what the additional report alleged; he also stated that unverified information from anonymous sources should not be treated by journalists as confirmed fact. Those remarks were made by Rubio in his capacity as a government official and do not carry the weight of independently verified fact. The statement reflects Rubio's own characterisation of the reporting standards at issue, not a determination by any independent authority.
Rubio, standing at the base of the aircraft steps with Guilfoyle nearby to bid him farewell, told reporters that the approach being described ran contrary to standard practice. According to a source with knowledge of the matter, Rubio's disposition toward the situation shifted as the volume of reports continued to build.
A second U.S. official, granted anonymity given the personnel nature of the matter, confirmed that the State Department's inspector general has taken up the allegations — reports that began circulating through news coverage toward the end of last month and have grown in number since. The second official did not confirm whether a formal inspector general investigation had been opened.
Referrals that reach an inspector general's office tend to receive only a cursory review; a full investigation, one that could expose an employee to penalties including termination, is neither automatic nor assured. No comment on a possible inspector general inquiry was forthcoming from the State Department.
Calls for a formal inquiry into Guilfoyle have come from four lawmakers: Gregory Meeks of New York and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire — the leading Democratic voices on the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees, respectively — along with Robert Garcia of California, who holds the ranking-member position on the House Committee for Oversight and Government Reform.
Beginning in late September, a television news outlet published multiple reports documenting allegations of misconduct involving Guilfoyle. That opening account stated she had told reception attendees that Washington held the power to destabilize the Greek administration at will, had advanced the commercial interests of a specific Greek construction and energy firm, and had permitted that firm's lobbyist entry into closed diplomatic sessions.
Reporting by a news outlet — drawing on text messages as its basis — indicated that, in the period leading up to her confirmation hearing, Guilfoyle had approached a donor and backer of Trump with a request to cover a $100,000 credit card debt, offering in return the prospect of introductions to administration officials. According to a separate account, Guilfoyle took issue with her exclusion from a Greek-themed gathering at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier that year, pressing for an invitation while pointing to luxury trips to France taken alongside energy industry executives.
A separate account, carried by a British tabloid, described friction between Guilfoyle and embassy personnel in Athens, along with conduct that reportedly fell outside what is considered fitting for someone serving as the top American diplomatic representative to Greece. Her background spans television broadcasting at a prominent news network and prosecutorial work in California, with a prior engagement to Donald Trump Jr. forming part of her public profile.
