Kimberly Guilfoyle is leaving her post as U.S. ambassador to Greece after the White House asked her to resign amid allegations of improper conduct.
During her first press briefing on Tuesday, White House press secretary Katie Zacharia announced the request, saying, “We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign. She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.”
Guilfoyle announced her resignation less than two hours later.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Guilfoyle urged Republican donor Eric Deters to wire $100,000 directly to her American Express account ahead of her Senate confirmation hearing, offering access to senior Trump administration officials in exchange.
Deters stated the requested money was a pay-for-access scheme, while Guilfoyle’s attorney disputed the authenticity of the text messages cited in the reporting.
Guilfoyle’s attorney said Deters owed her money for speaking and travel expenses from previous events. Deters disputed that account.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he had not spoken with Guilfoyle but explained why the administration sought her departure: “She went to Greece. She was doing a good job, but we didn’t like what we were reading.”
Guilfoyle called the allegations false and said she intends to “vigorously defend” her name and reputation.
The response from officials has ranged from the White House’s brief expression of thanks to calls for an investigation.
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) is one of the people calling for an investigation into Guilfoyle’s conduct. “Together, these reports paint a disturbing picture of an ambassador using her official position and access to senior political appointees to advance the private interests of those willing to pay.”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the reported actions “risk undermining the credibility of U.S. government officials working abroad on behalf of U.S. national security interests and the American people.”
Meanwhile, Republican Sen. John Barrasso called the reports “very troubling.”
Guilfoyle, 57, is a former California prosecutor and Fox News host who became a prominent Trump campaign surrogate and fundraiser.
She married Gavin Newsom, now California’s governor, in 2001 and divorced him in 2006.
She later married businessman Eric Villency, with whom she shares a son. Guilfoyle was also engaged to Donald Trump Jr. before their relationship ended in 2024.
Her 2018 departure from Fox News also followed allegations of workplace misconduct.
A former assistant accused Guilfoyle of sexual harassment; Guilfoyle denied wrongdoing. The New Yorker reported that Fox settled with the assistant for more than $4 million.
The latest allegations remain disputed.
