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Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned as U.S. ambassador to Greece on Tuesday after the White House asked her to step down, ending her diplomatic tenure amid a misconduct investigation and allegations she has denied.
“Serving as the United States Ambassador to Greece has been the honor of a lifetime,” Guilfoyle wrote in a post on X announcing her resignation.
She also rejected the allegations against her, saying they were false and that she intended to defend her name, reputation and integrity.
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia confirmed earlier Tuesday that the administration had asked Guilfoyle to resign.
“We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign,” Zacharia said during her first White House briefing. “She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.”
President Donald Trump told reporters that the administration had been dissatisfied with reports about Guilfoyle’s conduct. He said she had been doing a good job in Greece but added, “We didn’t like what we were reading.”
A White House official later confirmed that the administration had received Guilfoyle’s formal resignation.
Inspector general investigates allegations
Guilfoyle, 57, a former top Trump campaign surrogate and former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., has been under investigation by the State Department’s inspector general, according to two people familiar with the decision.
The investigation followed reports by The Wall Street Journal detailing allegations about her conduct as ambassador, including claims that she boasted about connections to wealthy Greek business figures who allegedly paid for luxury travel.
The newspaper cited people who said they heard the conversations, as well as an audio recording. NBC News said it had not independently confirmed the allegations.
The reports have raised questions about Guilfoyle’s conduct while representing the United States abroad. However, the allegations have not been established as fact, and Guilfoyle’s attorneys have denied wrongdoing.
In a statement Monday, attorneys David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall rejected claims of impropriety involving her travel. They said Guilfoyle sought and followed State Department guidance and complied with the department’s travel regulations.
Donor alleges $100,000 payment request
A separate allegation involves Trump donor Eric Deters, who accused Guilfoyle of asking him to pay an outstanding $100,000 American Express bill shortly before her 2025 Senate confirmation hearing.
Deters alleged that Guilfoyle offered him access to senior administration officials in exchange for the payment. He characterized the alleged arrangement as a quid pro quo.
According to Deters, a text message he provided appeared to show Guilfoyle instructing him to wire the money directly to American Express because “it won’t show up anywhere” that way. Deters said he did not make the payment.
Guilfoyle’s attorneys disputed his account, saying Deters owed her money for speaking engagements. Deters denies that claim.
The competing accounts have not been resolved publicly, and the available allegations do not establish that Guilfoyle committed a crime.
White House weighs political fallout
Guilfoyle had continued trying to preserve her position after the initial reports surfaced, making calls to allies as recently as Monday, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The source said senior White House aides were concerned about what the inspector general’s investigation might uncover and whether additional disclosures could prove embarrassing for Trump and his administration.
Trump initially offered a muted response when asked about the reports Friday, saying the situation was “too bad” and that Guilfoyle had always been nice to him. By Monday, however, he indicated that her future was in doubt.
“We’re looking at it. We’re not happy,” Trump said when asked whether he was considering firing her.
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had defended Guilfoyle after the allegations emerged.
Vance cautioned against reaching conclusions before the facts were established, saying the administration should determine what happened before deciding whether anyone should face consequences.
Rubio also criticized a reporter who questioned him about the allegations while he was traveling with Guilfoyle in Athens. He argued that allegations reported by the media should not be treated as established facts during a press conference overseas.
Federal prosecutors await findings
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said Tuesday that she would wait for the State Department inspector general’s investigation to develop before determining whether further action was warranted.
“I think right now that there is an inspector general investigation in the Department of State,” Pirro told reporters. “We’ll probably wait to see what comes, what happens with that.”
Guilfoyle’s resignation does not resolve the underlying allegations. The inspector general’s findings could determine whether the matter leads to additional administrative action or a referral for further investigation.
For now, Guilfoyle maintains that the allegations are false, while the White House has moved to end her tenure as ambassador as scrutiny of her conduct continues.
