US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considering firing Kimberly Guilfoyle, their ambassador to Greece, over a string of misconduct reports, a senior US official said.
The official spoke to the Associated Press (AP) on Sunday 11 October on condition of anonymity. Both men are furious about the reports, the official said.
A decision on firing Kimberly Guilfoyle is likely after the US Columbus Day holiday on Monday 12 October.
Firing Kimberly Guilfoyle would end her posting barely a week after Rubio’s visit to Athens. She attended most, if not all, of his events there.
Rubio was particularly angry, the official said, because Guilfoyle greeted him with a warm hug when he arrived.
What The Wall Street Journal reported
Since late September, The Wall Street Journal has published a series of reports on Guilfoyle’s conduct. AP reported that some of it may breach ethics rules or even the law.
The reports include an alleged threat to a Greek official. They also allege she accepted improper gifts and services and promoted certain business interests.
Its first report said Guilfoyle told guests at a reception that the US could undermine the Greek government. It also said she let a lobbyist for a Greek construction and energy company into private meetings.
Greek City Times covered that first report on 27 September.
A later report cited text messages. In them, Guilfoyle allegedly asked a Trump donor to pay a US$100,000 credit card bill before her confirmation hearing, in return for access to officials.
The newspaper also reported that she was enraged at missing out on an invitation to a Greek-themed event in Davos. In addition, it said she boasted about luxury travel to France with energy executives.
Her lawyer has said she did nothing wrong, AP reported.
State Department inspector general
A second US official told AP that the State Department’s inspector general is looking into the allegations behind the talk of firing Kimberly Guilfoyle. However, that official could not say whether a formal investigation had begun.
The State Department declined to comment. Earlier, three Democrats, Representative Gregory Meeks, Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Representative Robert Garcia, called for an investigation.
Rubio defended Guilfoyle during his visit. “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here,” he said.
On Thursday 8 October, before boarding his plane, he rebuked reporters who asked about the allegations. A report based on a source was “not the gospel”, he said.
“That’s not the way we do things,” Rubio added.
US Vice President JD Vance also weighed in on 9 October. He said he did not like officials selling access.
Trump and Rubio have not yet decided on firing Kimberly Guilfoyle, AP reported. Until then, she remains in charge of the embassy in Athens.
(Source: Kathimerini)
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Kosta Papadopoulos
Kosta Papadopoulos is an editor at Greek City Times, covering Greek and international news, travel, sport, and entertainment.