U.S. President Donald Trump’s Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, resigned on Tuesday (October 13, 2026) after allegations of improper conduct but insisted she’ll “vigorously defend” herself.
Mr. Trump’s administration said on Tuesday (October 13) it had asked her to leave her post after she faced severe criticism over allegations she engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens.
The announcement, after days of comments and speculation, came in response to a question to freshly minted White House press secretary Katie Zacharia at her first media briefing Tuesday morning.
Ms. Zacharia said Ms. Guilfoyle “has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.”
Ms Guilfoyle’s departure comes after the possibility was previewed to the AP over the weekend, and Mr. Trump registered his unhappiness on Monday (October 12) in response to reports of her alleged conduct.
“Well, we’re looking at it,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if he was considering firing Ms. Guilfoyle. “We’re not happy.”
Those comments came a day after the AP, citing a senior U.S. official, reported that Mr. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Ms. Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely decide on her future this week.
In a series of stories dating to late last month, The Wall Street Journal has reported questionable conduct by Ms. Guilfoyle, including an alleged threat to a host country official, accepting improper gifts and services and offering to use her influence inside the Republican administration in return for the payment of a large credit card bill.
Ms Guilfoyle has not directly addressed the reports. But in a statement released late Sunday, her lawyers denied that she had done anything wrong and claimed that the money she was seeking from a Mr. Trump donor was payment for services — public appearances and speaking engagements that predate her ambassadorial nomination — that had not been paid.
The lawyers, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, also rejected allegations of impropriety related to Guilfoyle’s travel on private planes, saying that before every such trip she “sought, obtained and followed State Department guidance and followed the Department’s travel regulations.”
The allegations began surfacing weeks ago
After defending Ms. Guilfoyle following the first report, Mr. Rubio has declined to comment publicly on the growing allegations. Last week, Mr. Rubio said: “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.”
But after another report appeared later, Mr. Rubio — speaking Thursday before leaving Athens — berated journalists for asking about the allegations. He said that he didn’t know if they were true and that he 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 way we do things,” Mr. Rubio said at the foot of his plane as Ms. Guilfoyle, who was there to see him depart, looked on.
A second U.S. official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said the State Department’s inspector general was looking into the allegations, which first began surfacing in the Journal late last month and have since multiplied.
The second official could not say if a formal IG probe had begun. Inspectors general often conduct informal inquiries into complaints against staffers, and many times those inquiries do not result in a full-on investigation, which can result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.
The State Department has declined to comment on a potential IG investigation.
There was no immediate response to Ms. Zacharia’s statement from the Greek government or Cabinet members.
Ahead of Tuesday’s announcement, Greek opposition parties had called on the Foreign Ministry to summon Ms. Guilfoyle to respond to the allegations made against her. “This, most importantly, is an issue of national dignity,” Sia Anagnostopoulou, a former deputy foreign minister, said in parliament Friday. Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis responded that Ms. Guilfoyle had been treated “the same way as every other ambassador” and argued that an official summons had not been necessary.
Published – October 14, 2026 06:19 am IST
