US weighs removing ambassador to Athens amid allegations of inappropriate conduct

The administration of US President Donald Trump is seriously considering the possibility of removing Kimberly Guilfoyle from her position as US ambassador to Greece. The assessment comes after a series of reports linking her to questionable actions and illegal benefits while serving in the post.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN that President Trump is closely following developments involving Guilfoyle, who was previously engaged to his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., for four years.

According to published reports, Guilfoyle is suspected of accepting high-value gifts while serving as ambassador. She is also accused of requesting sums of money to arrange contacts with representatives of the US administration at a time when she had not yet been officially confirmed to the post.

The reports have caused considerable concern at the highest levels of the Trump administration. The situation became even more delicate because the allegations emerged precisely as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Athens delivering an important speech on Western democracy at the Acropolis.

Within the administration, President Trump is expected to make a final decision in the coming days regarding Guilfoyle’s future in the diplomatic post.

When asked by CNN on Friday about the allegations, Trump did not express unequivocal support for the ambassador. “I just heard about it. It’s unfortunate. I don’t know. I heard something briefly about it. I’m not very informed, but she has always been very nice,” the president said.

The White House has yet to issue an official position on the claims.

One of the most serious allegations comes from Eric Deters, a former Trump campaign donor. Deters claims that Guilfoyle sent him a message asking for $100,000 to pay off an American Express card debt, just days before the Senate confirmed her as ambassador.

According to Deters, he did not make the transfer because he did not have sufficient liquidity at the time. The Wall Street Journal was the first to publish the story about the messages, while Guilfoyle’s lawyer has said that she does not recognize the documents as authentic. Sources also said that Guilfoyle denied to administration officials last week that she had sent such messages.

Guilfoyle has always maintained close ties with the Trump family. After splitting from Donald Trump Jr., she was nominated for the post of ambassador to Greece. Allies of the president and his son described the situation as “embarrassing” in conversations with CNN, but it remains unclear whether this will lead to concrete action against her.

President Trump has repeatedly stressed that he does not tolerate cases in which people close to him try to profit materially from that relationship.

Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance took a more cautious position when asked on Friday whether Guilfoyle should be held accountable. He said he did not want to “judge people in the court of public opinion” and that it must first be established what actually happened.

However, Vance acknowledged that he is generally concerned by the phenomenon of individuals seeking payment to secure access to government officials. “Obviously, I don’t like someone selling access to another government official, especially a senior government official,” he said, adding that it was necessary to wait and see what had actually happened, and that if wrongdoing was proven, there should be consequences.