Politics
REPORT: Trump Considers Firing Ex-Fox News Star From His Administration
Kimberly Guilfoyle could be on her way out as U.S. ambassador to Greece, with President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighing her dismissal over mounting allegations of misconduct, according to a senior U.S. official.
Trump and Rubio are “extremely pissed off” over the reports, the official said Sunday. A decision on how to proceed is likely this week after Monday’s Columbus Day holiday.
The Wall Street Journal has published a series of reports alleging Guilfoyle threatened a Greek official, accepted improper gifts and services, and offered to wield influence within the administration in exchange for a Trump donor paying a large credit card bill.
Her attorneys deny wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the State Department’s inspector general is examining the allegations, according to a second U.S. official.
That official could not confirm whether a formal investigation had been opened, the AP reports. Preliminary inquiries do not always lead to full investigations, which can carry consequences ranging from disciplinary action to dismissal. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity, one to discuss internal deliberations and the other to discuss personnel matters.
Guilfoyle’s lawyers pushed back late Sunday, saying the money she sought from the donor was an unpaid debt for public appearances and speaking engagements that took place before her nomination.
Attorneys David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall also disputed allegations involving her use of private aircraft. Before each trip, they said, Guilfoyle “sought, obtained and followed State Department guidance and followed the Department’s travel regulations,” according to their statement.
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“Ambassador Guilfoyle has served, and will continue to serve, with integrity, honor and distinction. We are evaluating all available legal remedies to collect this debt and any other potential causes of action,” the lawyers said.
Guilfoyle has not directly addressed the reports herself.
The controversy followed Rubio to Athens last week, where Guilfoyle greeted him with a bear hug and accompanied him to most, if not all, of his events, according to the senior official. That proximity as the allegations circulated was a particular source of anger for Rubio, the official said.
Publicly, the secretary initially stood behind his ambassador.
“Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here,” Rubio said Wednesday.
Another Journal report appeared later that day. By Thursday, Rubio was refusing to weigh in on the allegations, telling reporters before leaving Athens that he did not know whether they were true.
With Guilfoyle nearby to see him off, Rubio sharply challenged the journalists questioning him at the foot of his plane.
“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,” Rubio said.
Behind the scenes, however, Rubio’s frustration has grown as the reports have piled up, the senior official said. The Journal began publishing the allegations late last month.
