WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considering firing U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of reports alleging she engaged in inappropriate and even illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens.
A senior U.S. official said Sunday that Trump and Rubio were “extremely upset” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely decide what action to take this week after Monday’s Columbus Day holiday.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Rubio had been particularly angry, particularly because he had traveled to Athens last week and Guilfoyle had attended most, if not all, of his events and greeted him upon his arrival with a bear hug as the allegations swirled.
In a series of articles, the Wall Street Journal reported questionable conduct by Guilfoyle, including allegedly threatening a host country official, accepting inappropriate gifts and services, and offering to use his influence within the administration in exchange for paying a large credit card bill.
Guilfoyle did not respond directly to the reports, although her lawyer said she had done nothing wrong and the U.S. Embassy in Athens tacitly expressed support for her.
After defending Guilfoyle following the first report, Rubio declined to comment publicly on the growing allegations. On Wednesday, Rubio said: “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here. »
But after another report came out Wednesday night, Rubio on Thursday, before leaving Athens, rebuked reporters who asked him about the allegations, saying he didn’t know if they were true and wouldn’t respond if he couldn’t confirm.
“You walk around thinking that because a source told you something and you reported it, that’s the gospel. That’s not the gospel. That’s not the gospel to me. That’s not how we do things,” Rubio said at the foot of his plane as Guilfoyle, who was there to see him off, looked on.
The official said Rubio became increasingly frustrated as information mounted.
A second U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said the State Department’s inspector general was looking into the allegations, which began surfacing in the Journal late last month and have since multiplied.
The second official could not say whether a formal IG investigation had begun. Inspectors general often conduct informal investigations into complaints against staff members, and these investigations often do not result in a thorough investigation, which can result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
The State Department declined to comment on a possible IG investigation.
The two top Democrats on the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees, Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, as well as the ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Robert Garcia, Democrat of California, have already called for an investigation into Guilfoyle.
Since late September, the Journal has detailed numerous accounts of questionable conduct by Guilfoyle. Her first report stated that she told guests at a reception that the United States could weaken the Greek government if it wished, promote the business interests of a particular Greek construction and energy company, and allow its lobbyist to participate in private diplomatic meetings.
While Rubio was in Athens, the Journal reported — citing text messages — that Guilfoyle asked a Trump donor and supporter to pay a $100,000 credit card bill just before his confirmation hearing, promising him access to administration officials if he did so.
The Journal then reported that Guilfoyle was furious at not being invited to a Greek-themed event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year and demanded to attend while bragging about luxury trips to France with energy company executives.
Another report, from British tabloid The Daily Mail, said Guilfoyle had alienated U.S. embassy staff in Athens and pushed the boundaries of appropriate behavior for the top U.S. government official in Greece.
Guilfoyle is a former Fox News Channel host and California prosecutor who was once engaged to Trump’s son Donald Jr.
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