Rubio Sidesteps Questions on Ambassador Guilfoyle's Reported $100,000 Donor Request
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused to answer questions in Athens about U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after reporting that she sought $100,000 from a Trump donor before her Senate confirmation.
The Wall Street Journal reported in an exclusive titled "'Honey Please': Kimberly Guilfoyle Pushed Donor to Wire $100,000 to Her Amex Account" that Guilfoyle, the former fiancee of Donald Trump Jr., pressed donor Eric Deters to wire money to her American Express account days before her confirmation hearing, according to The Guardian. A confirmation hearing is the public interview in which senators question and then vote on a nominee. The request was described as an exchange for access to the administration. Text messages cited by the Journal show Guilfoyle urged Deters to pay before the hearing. Of the $100,000 requested, $50,000 was paid, according to a later Journal account.
Guilfoyle told Deters she would "be your Trump ride or die, forever and ever" if he paid the rest. The two sides disagree on what the money was for. A lawyer for Guilfoyle said she was "owed a balance" for travel and speaking at events before her nomination. Deters told the Journal he did not owe her any balance.
This is the second ethics allegation against Guilfoyle reported by the Journal. In September, the paper reported that Guilfoyle invited Greek lobbyists, paid advocates trying to influence government, into official diplomatic meetings and promoted the interests of a Greek construction and energy company.
Asked about the reports in Athens, Rubio did not address the details. He said "our embassy here is doing a great job" and "our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here".
He also rejected the basis for the questions. "You guys somehow 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," he told reporters.
Pressure on Capitol Hill for a formal answer is building. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat, or top minority-party member, on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to Rubio on Tuesday asking for an immediate review of Guilfoyle's actions. Rep. Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Rubio in September asking for information about Guilfoyle's conduct.
The broader context here is the tight position Rubio is in. Defending a political ambassador under congressional scrutiny can pull the State Department into the allegation. Distancing himself can create conflict with the White House that chose her. Praising the embassy while dismissing anonymously sourced reporting leaves both paths open.
Looking at what this means for oversight, the Shaheen letter carries more weight than the Meeks letter. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee handles confirmations and ambassador conduct, so a review request from its ranking member creates a written record the Department must answer, even though Democrats lack subpoena power as the minority. The earlier September report about lobbyists in official meetings adds to that exposure. If confirmed, mixing private business promotion with diplomacy would break impartiality and use-of-office rules that career diplomats are trained to follow and that political appointees must also follow.
For those tracking what comes next, the signs will be procedural. Whether the State Department's inspector general, its internal watchdog, or the Bureau of Diplomatic Security opens a review, whether Rubio answers Shaheen in writing, and whether more texts or financial records appear will show whether this stays a debate about her confirmation or becomes a problem for her time in Athens.
