President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considering firing U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after reports alleging improper and possibly illegal conduct.
The Story
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considering firing U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of reports alleging she engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity about internal deliberations.
The official said Trump and Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by the reported conduct and would likely decide on what action to take this week after Monday’s Columbus Day holiday.
Rubio, in particular, was described as especially frustrated. The official said Rubio visited Athens just last week and Guilfoyle attended most, if not all, of his events, including greeting him on his arrival with a bear hug as the allegations swirled.
Guilfoyle has not addressed the reports directly, and her lawyer has said she did nothing wrong. The U.S. embassy in Athens has “tacitly expressed support” for her, the official said.
The official also said Rubio has grown increasingly frustrated as the allegations multiplied. Rubio previously defended Guilfoyle, saying on Wednesday, “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.”
After another report appeared late Wednesday, Rubio on Thursday before leaving Athens berated journalists for asking about the allegations and said he did not know if they were true and would not respond if he could not confirm them. “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. That’s not the gospel for me. That’s not the way we do things,” Rubio said at the foot of his plane as Guilfoyle, who was there to see him depart, looked on.
A second U.S. official, also speaking on condition of anonymity about personnel matters, said the State Department’s inspector general is looking into the allegations, which began surfacing in late September and have since multiplied. The second official said they could not confirm whether a formal inspector general probe has begun.
The State Department declined to comment on a potential inspector general investigation.
U.S. lawmakers have also called for an investigation, including Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top two Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees, along with Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., who is the ranking member on the House Committee for Oversight and Government Reform.
Guilfoyle is a former television host and California prosecutor who was once engaged to Donald Trump’s son, Donald Jr.
← More stories