Kimberly Guilfoyle Resigns As US Ambassador To Greece Amid Allegations

<p><em>Edited by: Wesley Dockery </em></p> <p>Kimberly Guilfoyle has stepped down as US ambassador to Greece.</p> <p>White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia earlier told reporters that Guilfoyle had been asked to resign, calling her "an incredible asset to the team."</p> <p>Zacharia, continued by adding, "we wish her well," though did not say whether she had already stepped down.</p> <p>Guilfoyle's position became untenable after the <em>Wall Street Journal</em> (WSJ) reported on her supposed threats against Greece and her acceptance of improper gifts. Most recently, WSJ published an article with screenshots of text messages documenting her attempts to receive cash from a Republican donor in exchange for influence in the Trump administration.</p> <h2>Trump before firing: 'We're not happy'</h2> <p>The past week has seen much speculation as to whether Guilfolyle would have to go, with the Associated Press (AP) revealing that President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were "extremely pissed off" over the former Fox News host's conduct.</p> <p>On Monday, Trump said "we're looking at it" when asked if Guilfoyle could be fired, adding, "we're not happy."</p> <p>Rubio initially defended Guilfoyle and continued to do so in Greece last week, saying, "Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here."</p> <p>Ultimately, however, he lashed out at journalists for asking about the allegations against Guilfoyle, accusing them of seeing their own reporting as "gospel" and insisting that he would not comment until he knew the whole story.</p> <p>There have been mixed reports suggesting that the State Department's investigator general might look into the matter, though this has not yet been confirmed.</p> <p>Top Democrats in the House of Representatives and the Senate have called for investigations.</p> <h2>Guilfoyle calls posting 'honor of a lifetime,' vows to 'defend reputation'</h2> <p>After news broke of Guilfoyle's fall from grace within the White House, she released a lengthy post on X, lauding her own performance and calling her posting to Athens "the honor of a lifetime" as well as thanking Trump and Rubio for putting their trust in her.</p> <p>Guilfoyle also said she wanted to, "address the recent allegations against me," writing: "These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity. I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional. I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service."</p> <p>Her most vocal accuser, Eric Deters, has vowed to sue Guilfoyle and her attorneys for defamation over her denials of wrongdoing in dealings with him.</p> <h2>What exactly is Guilfoyle accused of?</h2> <p>Guilfoyle, a TV personality who was formerly married to California Governor Gavin Newsom and later engaged to Trump's eldest son Don Jr., has been accused of numerous improprieties during her tenure in Greece.</p> <p>Greece is an important NATO ally for the US, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean and in terms of Red Sea shipping security.</p> <p>Among other things, she is said to have bragged about luxury travel and the perks of chumming with energy company executives before threatening that the US could easily undermine Greek democracy if it did not get what it wanted from the host country.</p> <p>She also appeared to favor shady deals with individual Greek construction and energy company execs, going so far as to bring their lobbyists to top-level diplomatic meetings.</p> <p>Guilfoyle was further reported to have alienated embassy staffers with her behavior and reportedly exploded after not being invited to a Greek-themed event at this year's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, demanding she be allowed to attend.</p> <p>The straw that broke the camel's back, however, was a media offensive started by GOP donor Eric Deters, who grew weary of Guilfoyle's insistence that he pay off her credit card in exchange for influence that she had been unable to deliver.</p> <p>Deters began doing media interviews with any outlet that would listen after the WSJ story broke, publishing embarrassing text chains in which Guilfoyle implored him to transfer $100,000 (&euro;89, 400) to her American Express account, writing, "Honey please, I need you to get this done for me today."</p> <p>Deters, who said he had already paid her $300,000 and gotten nothing in return, told numerous US media outlets the deal was "absolutely a quid pro quo" and that he had warned Guilfoyle that he would go public about their dealings if she could not rectify the situation.</p> <p><em>If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to </em>select us as your Preferred Source on Google<em>, so you'll always see our verified news first.</em></p> <div id="article-hstick-inner" class="abp-story-detail "> <p><em>(<strong>Disclaimer</strong>: This report first appeared on <strong>Deutsche Welle</strong>, and has been republished on <strong>ABP Live</strong> as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by <strong>ABP Live</strong>.)</em></p> </div>

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