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Guilfoyle exit refuels Democrats’ corruption messaging against Trump
Confirmed
In Short: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said Guilfoyle’s reported conduct was unacceptable.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. Ambassador to Greece, announced her resignation Tuesday, following allegations of misconduct and improper conduct during her tenure.
The White House had asked Guilfoyle to resign amid an investigation by the State Department’s Office of Inspector General into financial and workplace conduct allegations.
Guilfoyle denied any wrongdoing, stating in a social media post, “These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that Guilfoyle had offered lobbyist Christos Marafatsos as much as $1 million in tax aid and legal relief if he was confirmed to the ambassadorship.
Guilfoyle also faced criticism over her travel on private planes and her interactions with Greek businessmen.
The Greek opposition parties had called for Guilfoyle to be summoned to respond to the allegations, but the Greek Foreign Ministry said she had been treated the same as every other ambassador.
Guilfoyle expressed unwavering support for President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stating, “My gratitude and respect for President Trump and Secretary Rubio remain unwavering.”
Despite the controversy, Guilfoyle highlighted several diplomatic and economic milestones during her time in Athens, including agreements to expand American liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to Europe.
Democrats are using the controversy to campaign on allegations of Trump administration corruption before the upcoming elections.
The White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, confirmed Guilfoyle’s resignation, saying, “We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign.”
What's confirmed
- “I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional,” Guilfoyle wrote on Tuesday.
- In a social media post announcing her resignation, Guilfoyle described the allegations against her as “false.” “I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity,” she said.
- “These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity.” The White House’s request for her departure followed investigations by the State Department’s Office of Inspector General into financial and workplace conduct allegations, which Guilfoyle’s legal team has repeatedly denied.
What's still developing
- “The White House has received Ms. Guilfoyle’s formal resignation,” a White House official told the Washington Examiner.
- But Heye downplayed Democrats’ allegations of corruption, contending the party may have more success mounting the argument that it is more that “Trump is focused on arches, bad ambassadors, and a war no one asked for rather than what voters are saying is important to them,” including affordability.
- Guilfoyle’s ouster came on the heels of recent press reports that she had engaged in potentially improper or illegal behavior.
- Meanwhile, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said on X on Tuesday that Guilfoyle’s reported conduct was unacceptable.
- The construction-company lobbyist, representing the Greek firm Aktor Group, traveled frequently with Guilfoyle while she encouraged foreign contacts to work with the group.
- Sarah Longwell and Andrew Weissmann explain the explosive Kimberly Guilfoyle corruption allegations, including the $100,000 Amex payment, incriminating text messages, and why Trump might be reluctant to turn against her.
- Gavin Newsom (D-CA) had kept a low profile in Greece, other than a splashy feature article in the New York Times this year that described her as “the talk of Athens.” Then, hours after Rubio arrived in Greece, in part, to deliver a landmark speech on the importance of Western civilization against the backdrop of the Acropolis, he had to grapple with headlines about Guilfoyle and her credit card.
- Your information could be the missing piece to an important story.
- It’s really difficult to mess up a Mediterranean vanity ambassadorship, but Kimberly Guilfoyle has managed to pull it off.
- "This, most importantly, is an issue of national dignity," Sia Anagnostopoulou, a former deputy foreign minister, said in parliament Friday.
- He said he had not spoken to her but "she will not be there." Guilfoyle's departure comes after its possibility was previewed to The Associated Press over the weekend and Trump registered his unhappiness on Monday at reports about her alleged conduct.
- “I’m going to make you a lot of fucking money,” she reportedly told an American businessman, whose help she was requesting in securing a seat at a dinner hosted by Eric Trump.