US President Donald Trump confirmed reports on Monday that he is considering dismissing the US ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, whose position has been rocked by a series of damaging revelations against her.
“We are looking into it. We are not satisfied,” said Trump addressing reporters at the White House who questioned her continued appointment amid the recent controversies surrounding her.
Trump is expected to decide on the fate of the former fiancée of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, soon, according to US media outlets.
A senior US official said on Sunday that Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio are reportedly “extremely outraged” by Guilfoyle’s alleged behaviour and are likely to decide on their next steps within the week, after Monday’s Columbus Day public holiday.
In recent days, the Wall Street Journal has published a series of articles that have put Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former prosecutor and Fox News host who went on to become a leading figure in Trump’s MAGA (“Make America Great Again”) movement, in a very uncomfortable position.
Among other things, the reports describe controversial actions attributed to Guilfoyle, including an alleged threat against an official of the host country, the acceptance of inappropriate gifts and services, and an offer to use her influence inside the administration in exchange for the settlement of a large credit card bill.
The US ambassador to Greece has issued a robust response through her lawyers, flatly rejecting the accusations made by US businessman and former political candidate Eric Deters.
She claimed that Eric Deters owes her around $150,000 (€134,014) for speeches and consultancy services, and stressed that she had previously turned down a $1 million (€893,430) proposal from him to promote a personal court case of his during her time with the US broadcaster.
Concerning allegations of improper gift-taking and private air travel, Guilfoyle’s team stressed that the ambassador had gone through the appropriate request and approval channels within the US State Department, and refute any allegations of ethics or rules violations pertaining to such.