Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considering firing US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of allegations about her conduct before and during her tenure in Athens.
A senior US official said the president and Mr Rubio were “extremely pissed off” and were likely to decide what action to take after Monday’s Columbus Day holiday.
The official, who spoke anonymously about internal deliberations, said Mr Rubio was particularly angry. He visited Athens last week, where Ms Guilfoyle attended most, if not all, of his events and greeted him with a bear hug as the allegations continued to emerge.
The State Department’s inspector general is also examining the claims, according to a second US official. It was unclear whether a formal investigation had begun, with the official noting that inspectors general often begin with informal inquiries which do not necessarily lead to disciplinary action.
The State Department has declined to comment on a potential investigation.
Reports have alleged that Ms Guilfoyle threatened a Greek official, accepted improper gifts and services, and offered to use her influence within the Trump administration in exchange for payment of a large credit card bill.
One report said she told guests at a reception that the US could undermine the Greek government if it chose to, promoted the interests of a Greek construction and energy company, and allowed its lobbyist to attend private diplomatic meetings.
While Mr Rubio was in Athens, another report cited text messages which allegedly showed Ms Guilfoyle asking a Trump donor and supporter to pay a $100,000 credit card bill shortly before her confirmation hearing. She was said to have promised him access to administration officials in return.
Further allegations concerned her reaction to not being invited to a Greek-themed event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year. She was also reported to have boasted about luxury travel to France with energy company executives.
The Daily Mail separately reported that Ms Guilfoyle had alienated staff at the US embassy in Athens and had pushed the boundaries of behaviour expected of America’s senior representative in Greece.
Ms Guilfoyle has not responded directly to the reports. Her lawyer has said she did nothing wrong, while the US embassy in Athens has tacitly expressed support for her.
Mr Rubio initially defended her, saying on Wednesday: “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.” He later declined to comment as the allegations grew.
Before leaving Athens on Thursday, Mr Rubio criticised journalists who questioned him about the claims, saying he did not know whether they were true and would not respond to allegations he could not confirm.
“You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it’s the gospel. It’s not the gospel. It’s not the gospel for me. That’s not the way we do things,” he said at the foot of his plane, as Ms Guilfoyle looked on.
Senior Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees have called for an investigation into Ms Guilfoyle. They include Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Representative Robert Garcia of California.
Ms Guilfoyle is a former Fox News Channel host and California prosecutor who was previously engaged to Donald Trump Jr.
