Why Kimberly Guilfoyle Was Asked to Resign as Ambassador to Greece
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Kimberly Guilfoyle is leaving her post as U.S. ambassador to Greece after the White House asked her to resign amid allegations of misconduct, according to NBC News and Fox News. She announced the move Tuesday in a post on X and said the allegations against her are false.
Press secretary Katie Zacharia disclosed the request during her first White House briefing. Here is what is known, what is disputed and what remains unresolved.
What did the White House say?
Zacharia told reporters, “We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign,” and added that Guilfoyle had been a valuable member of the team. Asked about her later, President Donald Trump said she had been doing a good job but that the administration did not like the reports it was seeing. NBC News reported that he said he had not spoken to her.
Fox News reported that Trump played down his personal ties to her when a reporter noted she had nearly been part of his family. Guilfoyle, 57, was engaged for four years to Donald Trump Jr. They split in December 2024, the same month she was nominated for the Greece post, Fox reported.
What is Guilfoyle accused of?
The allegations come from several reports. According to The Wall Street Journal, as relayed by Fox News, Guilfoyle asked Trump donor Eric Deters to pay off a $100,000 American Express bill shortly before her July 2025 Senate confirmation hearing. The Journal reported that she offered to help him gain access to senior administration officials. Messages cited by the outlets show her urging him to wire the money straight to the card company, which she said would leave no trace. Deters told NBC News he never paid.
The Journal also reported on her conduct in Greece, according to Fox News. Those allegations include promoting the interests of the Greek firm Aktor Group and letting its registered lobbyist join private diplomatic meetings. NBC News said the Journal also reported that she bragged about ties to Greek tycoons who she said paid for luxury trips. NBC has not independently confirmed that account.
Fox News, citing the Daily Mail, reported that sources described a hostile workplace at the embassy, including threats to fire staff and the demotion of security detail members.
How does Guilfoyle respond?
In her X post, Guilfoyle said the allegations are false and that she intends to defend her name and reputation. She thanked Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and said her loyalty to Trump has not changed. According to Fox News, she did not directly address the request to resign or say when she would formally leave.
Her attorneys, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, said Deters owed her money for speaking engagements, which Deters denies, NBC News reported. Fox News reported that Binnall disputed the authenticity of the messages. The attorneys also said she followed State Department guidance and travel rules, and Binnall told the Daily Mail that any suggestion of wrongdoing is unsupported.
Is there an official investigation?
Reports differ on this point. NBC News said two people familiar with the matter confirmed last week that the State Department’s inspector general is investigating her. Fox News, citing the Daily Mail, said the inspector general’s office reportedly opened a probe covering embassy staff treatment, private travel, gifts and business relationships. But the office declined to confirm or deny any investigation.
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, told reporters that her office would likely wait to see what comes of the inspector general review rather than start its own inquiry, NBC News reported.
Why does it matter?
The departure ends the tenure of a high-profile political appointee who had been a prominent Trump campaign surrogate. How the allegations are resolved bears on public trust in how ambassadors are vetted and held to account.
Reaction inside the administration shifted over a few days. Vice President JD Vance said last week that people should not be tried in the court of public opinion but that wrongdoing should carry consequences. Rubio criticized a reporter for raising the allegations while he was with her in Athens. On Monday, Trump said he was not happy and was weighing whether to fire her. NBC News cited a source who said senior White House aides worried about what an inspector general probe might reveal. Fox News reported that Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Gregory Meeks, had called for a review of her conduct.
What happens next?
The inspector general review, if it proceeds, is the main open question. Guilfoyle’s formal departure date has not been disclosed, and she has said she will fight the allegations.
