Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US ambassador to Greece, has been accused of seeking a $100,000 payment from a businessman to settle her American Express bill in return for help with the Trump administration before her confirmation hearing.
Eric Deters, a businessman and longtime Donald Trump supporter, said the request amounted to “pay to play”. He told an interview that Guilfoyle should lose her ambassadorship over the alleged arrangement, although he said he never sent the money.
“It was quid pro quo,” Deters said, adding that he did not have $100,000 available at the time. He said he told Guilfoyle that his wife would not agree to the payment as an excuse for refusing.
The messages, which Deters supplied, allegedly show Guilfoyle asking him to make the payment directly to American Express. “It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express that’s all that will show,” one message read.
In another message, dated July 3 last year, she allegedly wrote: “I have been officially announced honey please I need you to get this done for me today,” followed by a prayer-hands emoji.
Guilfoyle’s confirmation hearing took place six days later. The businessman also provided an alleged PDF headed “American Express Instructions”, which he said she sent to him.
White House officials were told that the messages were authentic, according to people familiar with the matter. Some Trump aides expressed displeasure about Guilfoyle’s alleged actions, the same people said.
There has been no reported public response from Guilfoyle to the allegations. The State Department, White House and Guilfoyle were approached for comment.
Claims over access to Trump administration officials
Deters said his dealings with Guilfoyle involved requests for help with a number of political and personal ambitions, including securing an appearance on Tucker Carlson’s podcast and arranging meetings with senior officials.
In a message to a producer of a podcast associated with Donald Trump Jr and Guilfoyle, Deters suggested that people in their circle could make “lots of money” from a legal matter involving patients of spinal surgeon Abubakar Durrani.
Deters said he had previously offered Guilfoyle $1 million if she helped him appear on the programme. He also complained that she had not secured concrete assistance with his efforts to draw attention to Durrani’s former patients.
In one exchange, Guilfoyle allegedly urged him to stop putting requests in writing and to use the encrypted messaging service Signal instead. “It’s really dangerous and not helpful to you or me while you could simply just call me on Signal,” she wrote, according to the messages provided by Deters.
Deters, a retired lawyer and businessman from Kentucky, said he had previously paid Guilfoyle $300,000 for appearance fees. He also claimed to have paid members of the Trump family and contributed to a political action committee connected to the former president.
He said his relationship with Guilfoyle was entirely political and claimed that her influence in Trump circles had diminished after her engagement to Donald Trump Jr ended. Guilfoyle was nominated as ambassador to Greece shortly afterwards.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to discuss the allegations during a visit to Greece, saying the issue had only recently been reported and that such matters were not dealt with at a press conference or on a foreign tarmac.
Vice-President JD Vance was also asked about the propriety of a US government official seeking payment of a personal debt in exchange for access to officials.
“With that hypothetical, obviously I don’t love that, but I, you know, I don’t know exactly who you’re talking about. I don’t know the full details,” he said.
Deters said he now wanted Guilfoyle removed from her post. “I’m a tough hombre,” he said. “I’m going to get to take Kimberly Guilfoyle’s deposition.”
