Multiple accounts alleging improper and potentially unlawful conduct by U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle — spanning the period both before and during her posting in Athens — have placed her position under review by President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 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 next steps expected later in the week, following the Columbus Day holiday on Monday.
A source who asked not to be identified, citing the sensitivity of internal conversations, said Rubio's unease deepened because of when the situation unfolded — just days after his Athens visit, during which Guilfoyle had accompanied him through much of the schedule and offered a cordial reception on his arrival, at a point when the allegations were reportedly already known.
Multiple reports from one news outlet documented allegations against Guilfoyle spanning three areas of conduct: a purported threat directed at an official of the host country, the receipt of gifts and services deemed inappropriate, and an arrangement in which her access to administration circles was allegedly offered in exchange for settlement of a substantial credit card debt.
No public statement from Guilfoyle has addressed the reports, though her attorney has maintained that she acted within the law, and the U.S. embassy in Athens has put forward a position of support for her. Rubio, who initially stood by Guilfoyle when the first account surfaced, has not addressed the mounting claims in any public statement.
On Wednesday, Rubio described the ambassador as having performed strongly in the role, but when a further report appeared later that evening, he took issue with journalists in Athens the following morning — before his departure — who pressed him on the allegations, telling them he would not address claims he had no way of verifying, and adding: "You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it's the gospel."
Rubio, speaking at the base of his aircraft as Guilfoyle stood nearby to bid him farewell, told reporters that the approach described ran counter to how he operates. According to the senior official, Rubio's disposition toward the matter shifted noticeably as the volume of reports continued to build.
A second unnamed official — who pointed to the confidential nature of personnel matters as the reason for withholding their identity — told reporters that the State Department's inspector general had opened a review of the allegations, which a news organisation first brought to public attention near the close of the previous month and have continued to grow in number. The second official did not answer whether an inspector general investigation had been formally opened.
When a complaint is received by an inspector general's office, the office typically opens a preliminary review rather than launching a full investigation straight away — and most of those reviews close without escalating to formal proceedings that could carry penalties up to termination. No comment on a possible inspector general inquiry was forthcoming from the State Department.
Requests for a formal inquiry into Guilfoyle have come from four lawmakers — Gregory Meeks of New York and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the senior Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations panels respectively, along with Robert Garcia of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Beginning in late September, a broadcaster identified as prominent ran a series of reports laying out multiple allegations of improper behaviour directed at Guilfoyle. That initial account stated she had told reception guests that the U.S. held the capacity to destabilise the Greek government at its discretion, had advanced the commercial interests of a named Greek construction and energy firm, and had permitted that firm's lobbyist to attend closed diplomatic discussions.
During Rubio's trip to Athens, a television network published a report — drawing on text messages as its source — alleging that Guilfoyle had approached a Trump donor and backer with a request to cover a $100,000 credit card balance shortly before her confirmation hearing, with a promise of introductions to administration officials in return.
Reporting from one outlet described how Guilfoyle objected to her absence from the invitation list for a Greek-themed event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and sought entry by pointing to prior travel alongside energy industry executives in France. 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 envoy to Greece.
Guilfoyle previously worked as a prosecutor in California before moving into television news presenting, and for a period she was engaged to Donald Trump Jr.
