A Trump donor accused Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US ambassador to Greece and Trump family ally, of engaging in a “quid pro quo” by asking him to pay off her $100,000 debt in exchange for access to administration officials.
Eric Deters, a former congressional candidate and lawyer, told MS Now on Thursday that Guilfoyle had “ambushed” him last year with an offer to provide access to government officials if he paid her American Express credit card bill, before her US Senate confirmation hearing as ambassador to Greece.
“It absolutely was a quid pro quo,” Deters told the network in response to a Wall Street Journal report that she had pushed him for the money.
“Kimberly Guilfoyle is a grifter,” he added.
The Guardian has asked Guilfoyle’s lawyer for comment.
Jesse Binnall, a lawyer for Guilfoyle, told the Wall Street Journal that Guilfoyle disputed the authenticity of the messages, but that she was “owed a balance” for travel and speaking at events before her nomination. Deters told the Journal that he did not owe Guilfoyle any balance.
The report is the latest allegation about Guilfoyle’s conduct as a US official. Deters shared messages he and Guilfoyle exchanged in which the US ambassador to Greece promised him “ride or die” access to Trump administration officials if he wired American Express $100,000.
Asked about the report during a press conference in Athens on Wednesday, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said he would not address the allegations. He reaffirmed his support for the US embassy in Greece adding, “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.” Asked again about the reports on Thursday, Rubio refused to comment.
The top Democrats on the House foreign affairs and Senate foreign relations committees have asked Rubio to open an investigation into Guilfoyle’s conduct as an ambassador.
A spokesperson for the Democratic staff of the Senate foreign relations committee confirmed to the Guardian that they were requesting further information and continuing to investigate.
JD Vance similarly expressed hesitation, similar to Rubio, on Thursday when asked to respond to a US ambassador offering access to government officials in exchange for money to pay off debts.
“With that hypothetical, Jen, obviously I don’t love that,” the vice-president replied. “But I don’t know exactly who you’re talking about. I don’t know the full details. What I find with these stories is you never want to comment in a purely abstract way because a lot of times the details really matter,” he added.
Concerns about Guilfoyle’s conduct were first raised in September when the Wall Street Journal reported she had used her position to invite Greek lobbyists to sit in on official diplomatic meetings and promoted the business interests of one particular Greek construction and energy company.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, sent a letter to Rubio on Tuesday, asking him to look into the allegations against Guilfoyle.
“Such actions do not serve US credibility overseas and risk undermining US diplomacy,” Shaheen wrote. “In advance of your upcoming travel to Greece, I request an immediate review of Ambassador Guilfoyle’s actions and a clarification of what steps have and will be taken to avoid undue influence and even the appearance of a conflict of interest.”
Separately, Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the House foreign affairs committee, sent a letter to Rubio in September, requesting more information about Guilfoyle’s conduct, her relationship with the Greek construction and energy company and her relationship with the lobbyist.
“If these reports are accurate, Ambassador Guilfoyle is unfit to represent the United States abroad and should be removed from her position,” Meeks wrote.
Guilfoyle, 57, was once a member of the Trump family’s inner circle, having been engaged to Donald Trump Jr, the US president’s eldest son, for roughly three years. The couple ended their engagement in 2024, and shortly after taking office, Donald Trump nominated Guilfoyle to be ambassador to Greece.
But now further allegations accuse Guilfoyle of promising a Trump donor, Eric Deters, access to the Trump administration in exchange for a $100,000 payment to American Express.
Deters shared messages exchanged between himself and Guilfoyle with the Wall Street Journal in which she reportedly pleaded: “Honey please I need you to get this done for me today.”
Deters said Guilfoyle had promised him thatshe would “be your Trump ride or die, forever and ever” if he made the American Express balance. Deters said he never made the payment.
In other messages, Guilfoyle reportedly raised concerns about her communications with Deters becoming public and reprimanded him for not being discreet. “Eric, I really wish you would stop papering all these things. It’s really dangerous and not helpful to you or me while you could simply just call me on Signal,” she is said to have written in one message.
“What a nightmare, you’ll literally cost me my ambassadorship stop writing,” Guilfoyle reportedly wrote in another message.
A lawyer for Guilfoyle disputed the authenticity of messages Deters shared with the Wall Street Journal.
It is unclear whether Shaheen or Meeks will ask Rubio for further information about the latest report. The Guardian has asked Meeks and Shaheen for comment.
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