Kimberly Guilfoyle is facing calls for an investigation into her conduct as US ambassador to Greece after refusing to remove an energy lobbyist from official meetings and amid allegations that her team sought complimentary luxury hospitality.
Christos Marafatsos, a registered lobbyist for Greek infrastructure and construction group Aktor, has continued to attend meetings with the ambassador despite concerns about potential conflicts of interest. Several people familiar with the arrangement said Ms Guilfoyle had made clear that she considered him essential to her work.
Marafatsos is paid by Aktor to develop relationships with the White House and the US State and Energy departments. The company has expanded into natural gas distribution and renewable energy, while Ms Guilfoyle has encouraged officials in the Balkans to do business with it, according to reports cited in the allegations.
Her lawyer, Jesse Binnall, said Ms Guilfoyle had worked with companies across the energy sector rather than concentrating on one business. Lawyers for Aktor said the company’s involvement began before it had any contact with the ambassador.
Marafatsos, who chairs the group Greeks for Trump, has also worked with Ms Guilfoyle in a non-governmental role, helping to connect Athens with the Greek-American diaspora. Both Ms Guilfoyle and the White House have rejected suggestions of wrongdoing.
Allegations over hospitality
The controversy has widened over claims that members of the ambassador’s team sought free or discounted hospitality from a Greek fixer, Giannis Chorozoglou.
Three people familiar with the matter said the team asked for two cases of Champagne. When Chorozoglou obtained only a discount, one member of the team allegedly replied: “Are you serious? Just a discount? Are we paying for it? It was supposed to be free for the ambassador.”
Sources also alleged that an aide complained after a dinner at the Matsuhisa restaurant at the Four Seasons Astir Palace in Vouliagmeni produced a bill of €1,586. The meal was attended by Ms Guilfoyle, her son Ronan and his father, businessman Eric Villency.
The bill was eventually sent to the US embassy, according to people familiar with the exchange. An embassy official said Ms Guilfoyle paid for the meal and insisted that she continued to comply with all State Department ethical guidelines.
Three current and former diplomats said that soliciting gifts because of an ambassador’s official position could breach US federal law and regulations. Federal ethics rules state that government employees must not directly or indirectly solicit or accept such gifts.
Pressure before Rubio visit
The allegations have emerged shortly before Secretary of State Marco Rubio is due to travel to Athens for talks with the Greek government. His discussions are expected to cover defence cooperation, migration, counterterrorism, airport narcotics controls, Middle East stability and relations between Greece and Turkey.
A State Department source said Mr Rubio was irritated by the situation but had too many other demands to focus on what was described as Ms Guilfoyle’s “side quests”. Embassy staff have been arranging meetings with senior Greek officials in Athens and Washington in an effort to contain the fallout, according to several sources.
Senior Democrats on the Senate and House foreign affairs committees have urged Mr Rubio to examine the ambassador’s conduct. Representative Gregory Meeks, the senior House Foreign Affairs Democrat, said: “If these reports are accurate, Ambassador Guilfoyle is unfit to represent the United States abroad and should be removed from her position.”
Ms Guilfoyle, 57, a former Fox News host who was once engaged to Donald Trump Jr, was nominated by President Donald Trump in December 2024 and confirmed by the Senate last September.
Her tenure has also drawn attention to her social engagements in Greece. She was photographed at the Nammos beach club on Mykonos in July with Bill White, the US ambassador to Belgium, before travelling to Paris for Fashion Week the following day.
Sources said embassy staff and foreign diplomats were wary of challenging Ms Guilfoyle because she openly referred to her direct access to the Oval Office. One person close to the US embassy in Athens alleged that she could intimidate officials by threatening to call the President.
The White House has defended her performance, with spokeswoman Taylor Rogers describing it as “incredible” and dismissing criticism as “trash”. Mr Rubio has also called Ms Guilfoyle an “incredibly effective advocate” for the President’s agenda in Greece and across Europe.
“President Trump and I greatly value the Ambassador’s pivotal work and leadership in the region,” he said in a statement.
Marafatsos said he was grateful for the opportunity to use his business experience and leadership in the Greek-American community.
