Trump Ousts Kimberly Guilfoyle as Ambassador to Greece

The White House asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign as United States ambassador to Greece on Tuesday, a sudden end for a high profile envoy with close ties to President Donald Trump's family.

New press secretary Katie Zacharia announced the move in her first briefing. She said Guilfoyle had been a wonderful asset to the team and wished her well. Later in the day, a White House official told CNN that Guilfoyle's formal resignation had arrived. Trump told reporters he had not spoken with her personally and explained the decision in five words: he did not like what he read. A day earlier, on Monday, Oct. 12, Trump had said in public that he was weighing whether to fire her and that his team was not happy.

The reports behind the ouster

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump campaign donor Eric Deters says Guilfoyle pressed him to pay off her 100,000 dollar American Express bill while she was preparing for her Senate confirmation hearing last year. A lawyer for Guilfoyle disputed the authenticity of the messages she is said to have sent Deters. CNN reported further allegations that she sought money in exchange for access to administration figures before her confirmation, accepted lavish gifts in the job, and brought a lobbyist for a Greek construction company into official meetings. Reuters reported that lawmakers had raised concerns over allegations that she may have threatened to use United States influence to undermine the Greek government. Washington's embassy in Athens did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Every one of those claims is an allegation, not a finding. No court or inspector general has ruled on them.

Guilfoyle denies the allegations

Guilfoyle answered on X. She called the post the honor of a lifetime, thanked Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and said the allegations against her are false. She pledged to defend her name, her reputation and her integrity. Her lawyers have denied the claims about seeking money, said the reporting on her travel was misleading, and said she followed federal gift and reporting rules. She has also said the money at issue was payment for speaking work that predated her nomination.

Trump kept his distance when reporters raised her past engagement to his son Donald Trump Jr., which lasted four years. He replied that she dated his son a long time ago and was not a member of his family.

Why the vacancy matters

Greece is a NATO ally that hosts key military facilities guarding the eastern Mediterranean, Reuters noted, and it leads a European Union maritime mission that protects commercial shipping in the Red Sea. An empty ambassador's chair in Athens leaves Washington to run that relationship through deputies until a successor is named. The White House announced no replacement on Tuesday.