The White House has asked Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, to resign amid an investigation into allegations of misconduct, including claims that she sought money in exchange for access to senior administration officials and pressured Bulgaria to work with a Greek construction company, White House press secretary Katie Zacharia announced.
“We asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign. She was a valued member of the team and we wish her success,” Zacharia said during her first briefing with reporters at the White House. She provided no further details.
CNN reported that President Donald Trump had taken notice of media reports concerning Guilfoyle, 57, the former fiancée of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. Trump confirmed that her position was under review before announcing the decision to seek her resignation, saying, “Yes, we are not satisfied”.
Guilfoyle, a longtime supporter of Trump’s political campaigns, is being investigated by the State Department’s Office of the Inspector General, two people familiar with the case told NBC News last week.
The investigation followed reports by The Wall Street Journal alleging misconduct in connection with her diplomatic role. The newspaper cited witnesses to a conversation and an audio recording in reporting that Guilfoyle had spoken about her connections with influential Greek businessmen who allegedly financed her luxury trips.
Earlier this month, Trump donor Eric Deters accused Guilfoyle of asking him, shortly before her Senate confirmation hearing in 2025, to cover a USD100,000 debt she owed American Express in exchange for access to senior U.S. administration officials.
“She was so desperate for that 100,000 dollars. It was about exchanging services. She told me that I could ask her for anything around Trump. There wasn't too much request,” Deters told NBC News.
A text message supplied by Deters appears to show Guilfoyle asking him to send the money directly to American Express to ensure there would be no record of the payment. Deters said he did not transfer the money.
On October 12, Guilfoyle’s lawyers said Deters owed her the money for appearances as a lecturer, a claim he disputes.
Her attorneys, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, also rejected allegations of misconduct related to her travel. They said Guilfoyle had sought and received guidance from the State Department and complied with its instructions and official travel rules.
On October 9, Trump described the allegations as “pathetic” when asked about them. “I just heard a little bit about it. I don't know much, but she was always very kind,” he said.
By October 12, however, the president acknowledged that he was considering removing her from the post, saying, “We're considering it. We are not satisfied”.
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended Guilfoyle last week. Vance stressed that the claims remained allegations and said people should not be judged in the court of public opinion before the facts were established.
“Let us first see the facts and establish the truth. If there has actually been a violation, there must be consequences,” Vance said.
Rubio sharply criticized a journalist who questioned him about the allegations while he and Guilfoyle were in Athens. On October 8, he said the claims should not be investigated during a news conference on an airport runway in a foreign country based on a media report relying on a source, adding that he did not know whether they were true.
The allegations have also drawn attention to Guilfoyle’s activities in Bulgaria. During her diplomatic mission this spring, she traveled to the Bulgarian capital and back as the Trump administration sought to persuade allies on Europe’s eastern flank to purchase billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. natural gas.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Guilfoyle urged Bulgarian officials to cooperate with Aktor Group, a Greek construction company that had recently entered the gas business. The company had merged with a Greek state-owned energy company to import liquefied natural gas from the United States.
“There is no doubt that this is something of an official position of the US government,” a person familiar with the discussions told the newspaper.
During a meeting with the Bulgarian president, Guilfoyle was accompanied by 39-year-old Christos Marafatsos. He attended so many of her meetings that some foreign representatives assumed he was her chief of staff. Marafatsos is, in fact, one of Aktor’s leading lobbyists, and the company’s chief executive brought Guilfoyle to Bulgaria on a private jet.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that, while serving as ambassador, Guilfoyle insisted that Greece buy only American liquefied natural gas, pressed for Bulgarian cooperation with Aktor Group, and warned that the government in Athens could fall in the same way as the government in Bucharest.
The latest report appeared while Rubio was visiting Athens last week. The White House has not responded to a CNBC request for further information, and Guilfoyle’s attorney did not immediately respond to a television request for comment.