President Trump said he is “looking at” firing Kimberly Guilfoyle and that he “is not happy” with his ambassador to Greece after revelations that she asked a donor to cover personal expenses in the lead-up to her confirmation hearing.
The Wall Street Journal first reported text messages of Guilfoyle asking Trump donor Eric Deters to wire $100,000 to her American Express account last year. “It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express,” she wrote on Signal. “Please.”
Deters, a former congressional Kentucky candidate, had previously paid Guilfoyle in speaking fees. He made a similar $200,000 payment to Donald Trump Jr. and $100,000 to Eric Trump . He refused, however, to pay her credit card bill.
The State Department Office of the Inspector General is now investigating whether Guilfoyle received gifts or favors from private businessmen. The Wall Street Journal later reported on audio of the diplomat boasting that Greek business magnates had paid for her flight to Paris along with luxurious hotel accommodations.
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Asked on Monday about the reports of potential misconduct by Guilfoyle and whether he might fire her, Trump said, “Well, we’re looking at it. Yeah, we’re not happy.”
Trump administration officials spent the weekend discussing whether Guilfoyle should continue on as ambassador in light of the allegations. Some floated asking the envoy to voluntarily relinquish her post to save Trump from the embarrassment of having to fire her, according to a senior administration official familiar with the deliberations.
A spokesman for Guilfoyle didn’t immediately return requests for comment.
Jesse Binnall, a lawyer for Guilfoyle, previously told The Journal that the ambassador disputed the authenticity of the messages showing her asking Deters to pay her credit card bill. He said she had been paid to speak at events before her nomination and “was owed a balance for traveling to and supporting these patriotic events.” Deters said he didn’t owe Guilfoyle any balance.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sidestepped the allegations while in Athens last week. “I don’t know if it’s true or not true,” he told reporters. “You guys somehow walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it’s the gospel. It’s not the gospel. It’s not the gospel for me.”
When asked about the allegations, Vice President JD Vance said, “I don’t love that,” adding that he was unfamiliar with the story.
Guilfoyle was previously engaged to Donald Trump Jr, the eldest son of the president. Rubio and Vance, meanwhile, are widely considered future potential presidential candidates. The controversy has distracted from Republican efforts to defend their majorities in the coming midterm elections. Members of Congress have already promised to investigate the matter.
Rep. Don Beyer (D., Va.) called for Guilfoyle to be fired and “if she broke the law, which seems highly likely, prosecuted.”
California Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, in a letter to Guilfoyle said the reported conduct “raises serious public corruption and national security concerns” and requested she provide financial records and copies of her communications with certain government officials.
Write to Philip Wegmann at philip.wegmann@wsj.com