U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, once a top Trump campaign surrogate, has been asked to resign amid a misconduct investigation, White House press secretary Katie Zacharia told reporters Tuesday.
“We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign,” Zacharia said during his inaugural White House press briefing. “She has been a wonderful asset to the team and we wish her well.”
NBC News has reached out to the State Department and Guilfoyle’s office for comment.
Guilfoyle, 57, the former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., is under investigation by the State Department’s Office of Inspector General, two people familiar with the decision confirmed to NBC News last week.
The investigation came after The Wall Street Journal reported allegations of misconduct in her role as ambassador, including allegations that she bragged about her relationships with Greek tycoons who she said financed luxury trips for her. The article cited people who overheard the conversation and an audio recording. NBC News has not independently confirmed these allegations.
A Trump donor named Eric Deters came forward this month, accusing him of asking him to pay his unpaid $100,000 American Express bill in the days before his 2025 Senate confirmation hearing in exchange for access to senior administration officials.
“She was so desperate to get that $100,000. It was a quid pro quo,” Deters told NBC News in an interview.
“She said I could ask her anything and everything in the Trump world. There was no ask too big,” he added.
A text message provided by Deters appeared to show Guilfoyle asking him to wire the money directly to American Express because “it won’t show up anywhere” that way. He said he didn’t pay her the money.
Guilfoyle’s lawyers said in a statement Monday that Deters owes him money for his speaking engagements, which he denies.
The attorneys, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, also denied allegations of any impropriety involving her travel, saying she “sought, obtained, and followed guidance from the Department of State and followed the Department’s travel rules.”
Asked Friday about reports of his conduct, President Donald Trump said it was “shame.”
“I just heard a little about her. I don’t really know, but she was always very nice,” he said.
His tone had hardened on Monday. Asked if he was considering firing her, he said: “We’re looking into it. We’re not happy.”
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended Guilfoyle last week.
Vance said “these are accusations” and that “we don’t judge people in the court of public opinion.”
“Let’s actually see what the facts are. Let’s see what the truth is, and obviously if something bad happened, then people need to face the consequences,” he said.
Rubio, meanwhile, attacked a reporter for asking about the allegations while he was with her in Athens.
“We don’t do these things at a press conference on a tarmac in a foreign country because you wrote an article or someone else wrote an article because a source gave it to you,” Rubio said Thursday.
“I don’t even know if what you’re saying is true.”
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