The White House publicly requested the resignation of U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle on Tuesday, and she announced her departure within two hours of that request.
President Donald Trump’s administration confirmed it had asked Guilfoyle to leave her post following severe criticism over allegations of improper and possibly illegal conduct during her tenure in Athens.
The revelation emerged during the first media briefing of newly appointed White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, who said Guilfoyle “has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.”
Trump addressed the resignation shortly after Guilfoyle posted her announcement on X, saying, “She went to Greece. She was doing a good job, but we didn’t like what we were reading.”
Trump added that he had not spoken to Guilfoyle directly but confirmed “she will not be there,” closing the door on days of mounting speculation about her professional future.
Guilfoyle pushed back firmly against the accusations in her resignation post on X, stating, “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,” she wrote, adding that she would not allow “false accusations to define my decades of public service.”
The Wall Street Journal published a series of reports dating to late last month detailing questionable conduct by Guilfoyle, including an alleged threat to a host country official, accepting improper gifts, and offering influence within the Republican administration in exchange for payment of a large credit card bill.
One Journal report, citing text messages, alleged that Guilfoyle asked a Trump donor to pay a $100,000 credit card bill just before her Senate confirmation hearing, promising him access to administration officials in return.
Guilfoyle’s lawyers, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, denied wrongdoing in a statement released late Sunday, arguing that the money she sought from a Trump donor was payment for public appearances and speaking engagements that predated her ambassadorial nomination.
The lawyers also rejected allegations of impropriety tied to Guilfoyle’s private plane travel, stating she “sought, obtained and followed State Department guidance and followed the Department’s travel regulations” before every such trip.
A second U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the State Department’s inspector general was looking into the allegations, though it remained unclear whether a formal probe had been launched.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had initially defended Guilfoyle, declined to comment further on the growing allegations, though he berated journalists for pressing him on the matter during his visit to Athens last week.
“You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it’s the gospel. It’s not the gospel. It’s not the gospel for me,” Rubio said at the foot of his plane as Guilfoyle looked on.
Top Democrats, including Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Rep. Robert Garcia of California, had already called for a formal investigation into Guilfoyle’s conduct.
Greek opposition parties had also called on the Foreign Ministry to summon Guilfoyle to answer the allegations, with former deputy foreign minister Sia Anagnostopoulou telling parliament Friday that the matter was “an issue of national dignity.”
The Journal also reported that Guilfoyle had been enraged at not being invited to a Greek-themed event at the World Economic Forum in Davos and had boasted about luxury travel to France with energy company executives.
Greece holds strategic importance due to its location in Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly on energy issues, as the war with Iran has spiked global oil prices and elevated the country’s role as a potential pipeline conduit for liquefied natural gas.
Guilfoyle is a former Fox News Channel host and California prosecutor who was previously married to Democrat Gavin Newsom during his time as San Francisco’s mayor, and was later engaged to Donald Trump Jr.
