Marco Rubio dismisses questions about Kimberly Guilfoyle pressing donor to pay by credit card | Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, brushed off journalists’ questions about recent reports that Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US ambassador to Greece and an ally of the Trump family, had used her position to promote her personal interests.

Rubio declined to address the latest allegations against Guilfoyle, raised in a Wall Street Journal article, saying she asked a Trump donor to pay her $100,000 American Express bill in exchange for access to the administration, ahead of her US Senate confirmation hearing.

“You think that because a source told you something and you reported it, that’s the gospel. That’s not the gospel, that’s not the gospel to me,” Rubio told reporters during his visit to Athens on Wednesday.

Rubio declined to answer questions about Guilfoyle’s reported conduct, the second such report, saying instead that “our embassy here is doing a great job” and that “our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.”

Top Democrats on the House and Senate Foreign Affairs committees have called on Rubio to open an investigation into Guilfoyle’s conduct as ambassador, although it is unclear whether that has happened.

A lawyer for Guilfoyle told the newspaper that he was “owed a salary” for traveling and speaking at events leading up to his nomination. Deters told the Wall Street Journal that he owed Guilfoyle no balance.

Vice President JD Vance also expressed hesitation Thursday, as did Rubio, when asked to respond to a U.S. ambassador offering access to government officials in exchange for money to pay off debts.

“With that assumption, Jen, obviously I don’t like it,” Vance replied. “But I don’t know exactly who you’re talking about. I don’t know all the details. What I find with these stories is that 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 that she had used her position to invite Greek lobbyists to attend formal diplomatic meetings and promote the business interests of a particular Greek construction and energy company.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top 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 U.S. credibility abroad and risk undermining American diplomacy,” Shaheen wrote. “Before your next trip to Greece, I request an immediate review of Ambassador Guilfoyle’s actions and clarification of the steps that have been and will be taken to avoid undue influence and even the appearance of a conflict of interest.”

Separately, Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Rubio in September, requesting more information about Guilfoyle’s conduct, his relationship with the Greek construction and energy company and his relationship with the lobbyist.

“If these reports are accurate, Ambassador Guilfoyle is unfit to represent the United States abroad and should be removed from office,” Meeks wrote.

Guilfoyle, 57, was once part of the Trump family’s inner circle, having been engaged to Donald Trump Jr, the US president’s eldest son, for about three years. The couple ended their engagement in 2024 and shortly after taking office, Donald Trump nominated Guilfoyle to serve as ambassador to Greece.

But now, other 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 him and Guilfoyle with the Wall Street Journal in which she allegedly pleaded, “Honey, please, I need you to do this for me today.” »

Deters said Guilfoyle promised him she would “be your Trump or die, forever and ever” if he took stock of American Express. Deters said he never made the payment.

In other messages, Guilfoyle allegedly expressed concerns about the publication of his communications with Deters and chastised him for his lack of discretion. “Eric, I really wish you would stop putting all this stuff on paper. It’s really dangerous and doesn’t help either of us when you could just call me on Signal,” she allegedly wrote in one message.

“What a nightmare, you are literally going to cost me my ambassadorship, stop writing,” Guilfoyle allegedly wrote in another message.

A lawyer for Guilfoyle disputed the authenticity of the messages Deters shared with the Wall Street Journal.

It’s unclear whether Shaheen or Meeks will ask Rubio for more information about the latest report. The Guardian asked Meeks and Shaheen for their comments.