White House says US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle has been asked to resign

WASHINGTON – The White House said on Oct 13 that it had asked US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign following allegations of unethical conduct.

“We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign,” White House press secretary Katie Zacharia told reporters. “She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.”

Guilfoyle, whom President Donald Trump tapped as his envoy to Greece, came under scrutiny in a series of reports by The Wall Street Journal alleging she solicited or accepted money, travel and other benefits from private individuals while using, or offering to use, her access to US officials and her diplomatic position to advance their interests.

Before her confirmation as ambassador in 2025, Guilfoyle sought US$100,000 (S$128,000) from Trump donor Eric Deters while offering to use her administration contacts to help him with tax and legal matters, and urging him to avoid putting discussions about money in writing, according to the Journal.

Trump expressed his displeasure with Guilfoyle on Oct 12, responding to a reporter’s question about whether she would be fired by saying he was “not happy”.

“We’re looking at it,” the President had said.

The Journal also reported Guilfoyle accepted private travel and hospitality from Greek businessmen while promoting their commercial interests, including encouraging Balkan governments to work with a company whose chief executive had flown her to Davos.

Guilfoyle’s representatives have disputed key parts of the reporting, and her lawyer has questioned the authenticity of the messages involving Deters.

The US Embassy in Athens told the Journal she followed State Department ethics and gift reporting requirements.

Congressional Democrats have called for ethics and public corruption investigations into Guilfoyle.

NBC News reported last week that the ambassador and the embassy in Greece were under investigation by the State Department’s inspector-general, citing people familiar with the matter.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly defended Guilfoyle during a trip to Greece, saying she had been “a strong ambassador”.

But after additional allegations were published before he left Athens on Oct 8, Rubio refused to address the reports and criticised journalists for treating allegations from unnamed sources as established fact as Guilfoyle stood nearby.

Trump nominated Guilfoyle in December 2024, and she was confirmed as ambassador by the Senate in September 2025. She previously was a Fox News host for more than a decade and was engaged to Donald Trump Jr.

Greece has been an important NATO ally to the US, offering key military facilities to safeguard security in the Eastern Mediterranean, and it leads a European Union maritime mission to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS