Trump, Rubio weigh firing US envoy to Greece after mounting reports of
improper conduct
[October 12, 2026]
By MATTHEW LEE
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 has engaged in improper
and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens.
A senior U.S. official said Sunday that Trump and Rubio are “extremely
pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely decide on
what action to take this week after Monday’s Columbus Day holiday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal
deliberations, said Rubio had been particularly angry, not least because
he visited Athens just last week and Guilfoyle attended most, if not
all, of his events and greeted him on his arrival with a bear hug as the
allegations swirled.
In a series of stories, The Wall Street Journal has reported
questionable conduct by Guilfoyle, including an alleged threat to a host
country official, accepting improper gifts and services and offering to
use her influence inside the administration in return for the payment of
a large credit card bill.
Guilfoyle has not addressed the reports directly, but in a statement
released late Sunday, her lawyers denied she had done anything wrong and
claimed that the money she was seeking from the Trump donor was payment
for services — public appearances and speaking engagements that predate
her ambassadorial nomination — that had not been paid.
The lawyers, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, also rejected allegations
of impropriety related to Guilfoyle’s travel on private planes, saying
that before every such trip she “sought, obtained and followed State
Department guidance and followed the Department’s travel regulations,”
they said.
“Ambassador Guilfoyle has served, and will continue to serve, with
integrity, honor and distinction. We are evaluating all available legal
remedies to collect this debt and any other potential causes of action,”
the lawyers said.
After defending Guilfoyle following the first report, Rubio has declined
to comment publicly on the growing allegations. On Wednesday, Rubio
said: “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.”
But after another report appeared late Wednesday, Rubio on Thursday
before leaving Athens berated journalists for asking about the
allegations, saying he didn’t know if they were true and that he would
not respond if he could not confirm them.
“You guys 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. That’s not the way we do things,” Rubio said
at the foot of his plane as Guilfoyle, who was there to see him depart,
looked on.
The official said that Rubio had grown increasingly frustrated as the
reports multiplied.
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U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle speak during a
dedication ceremony at the chancery of the U.S. Embassy, Wednesday,
Oct. 7, 2026, in Athens, Greece. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)
A second U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to
discuss personnel matters, said the State Department’s inspector
general is looking into the allegations, which first began surfacing
in the Journal late last month and have since multiplied.
The second official could not say if a formal IG probe had begun.
Inspectors general often conduct informal inquiries into complaints
against staffers and many times those inquiries do not result in a
full-on investigation, which can result in disciplinary action up to
and including dismissal.
The State Department has declined to comment on a potential IG
investigation.
The top two Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs and Senate
Foreign Relations committees, Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York and
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, as well as the ranking member
on the House Committee for Oversight and Government Reform, Robert
Garcia, D-Calif., have already called for an investigation into
Guilfoyle.
Since late September, the Journal has detailed numerous accounts of
questionable conduct by Guilfoyle. Its first report said that she
had told guests at a reception that the U.S. could undermine the
Greek government if it chose to, promoted the business interests of
one particular Greek construction and energy company, and allowed
its lobbyist into private diplomatic meetings.
While Rubio was in Athens, the Journal reported — citing text
messages — that Guilfoyle had asked a Trump donor and supporter to
pay a $100,000 credit card bill just before her confirmation
hearing, promising him access to administration officials if he did.
The Journal then reported that Guilfoyle had been enraged about not
being invited to a Greek-themed event at the World Economic Forum in
Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year and demanded to attend while
boasting about luxury travel to France with energy company
executives.
Another report, from the British tabloid The Daily Mail, said that
Guilfoyle had alienated staff at the U.S. Embassy in Athens and had
pushed the bounds of behavior appropriate for the top representative
of the U.S. government to 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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