Ambassador Guilfoyle is accused of asking a donor to pay her personal American Express bill. “We’re not happy,” the president told reporters.
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President Donald Trump said Monday that he was considering firing Kimberly Guilfoyle, his ambassador to Greece, amid allegations that she asked a political donor for $100,000 to pay her personal American Express bill.
“Well, we’re looking at it. Yeah, we’re not happy,” Trump told reporters outside the White House before departing for a campaign rally in Ohio.
The State Department’s Office of Inspector General has launched an investigation into Guilfoyle amid the ethics concerns, first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Guilfoyle may be compelled by the inspector general to provide testimony, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal personnel issues.
In a statement to The Washington Post, the Office of Inspector General said, “As a matter of policy, OIG does not confirm, deny, or comment on investigative matters.”
The allegations are the latest controversy surrounding Guilfoyle, a former prosecutor and television personality who was confirmed as ambassador last year. Trump nominated her for the overseas post a few months after she and Donald Trump Jr. broke off their engagement to be married. Her tenure in Greece has been shadowed by reports of hard partying and angry outbursts toward staff.
The latest allegations come from Eric Deters, a Trump supporter since 2016 and a former congressional candidate. Deters provided The Post with documents, emails and text messages detailing his interactions with Guilfoyle, whom he sought to enlist in several matters before she was confirmed as ambassador.
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“It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express that’s all it will show … Please,” Guilfoyle allegedly wrote to Deters in a text message requesting payment. The message appears to include a PDF with instructions for paying the bill directly to American Express.
Deters declined, saying he could not make the payment “without getting a divorce.”
The messages also suggest that Guilfoyle may have sought to trade on her administration connections. Deters says he paid her $300,000 in speaking fees while seeking help with tax matters and the extradition of an Ohio doctor charged with insurance fraud who fled to Pakistan.
Guilfoyle has disputed the authenticity of the documents. Her attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
As a presidential appointee, Guilfoyle serves at Trump’s pleasure and can be removed without congressional approval or a finding of misconduct.
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