By Vaughn Cockayne (The Washington Times)
U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle stepped down Tuesday after the White House asked for her resignation over allegations of improper conduct during her time at the embassy.
In her resignation statement, Ms. Guilfoyle rejected accusations that she had abused her position in the Trump administration and vowed to defend her name.
“While my time as Ambassador may be coming to an end, my commitment to President Trump, the America First movement, and the country I love will never end,” she wrote on X.
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia announced on Tuesday that Ms. Guilfoyle had been asked to resign.
“We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign. She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well,” Ms. Zacharia told reporters during a press briefing.
She did not offer a timeline for replacing Ms. Guilfoyle.
President Trump, who nominated Ms. Guilfoyle to the ambassadorship last year, said Monday that he was “looking” at whether to fire her following several Wall Street Journal articles that alleged misconduct.
“We’re not happy,” Mr. Trump told reporters.
Ms. Guilfoyle was one of the first ambassadors appointed during Mr. Trump’s second term. Before that, she was a Fox News Channel host and was previously engaged to Donald Trump Jr.
The Journal reported last week that Ms. Guilfoyle had used her influence in the administration to solicit $100,000 from a prominent Trump donor to pay off her American Express card ahead of her Senate confirmation hearing last summer.
The outlet also reported allegations that Ms. Guilfoyle told a Greek official that the U.S. could subvert the country’s government if it chose to, and gave a private audience to lobbyists from a Greek construction company.
Other allegations, first reported in U.K. tabloid The Daily Mail, said that Ms. Guilfoyle exhibited “tyrannical” behavior while leading the embassy and threatened staff.
Ms. Guilfoyle on Tuesday rejected the allegations and said she will defend her name.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who traveled to Greece last week as part of a diplomatic trip and met with Ms. Guilfoyle at the U.S. embassy, cast doubt on the allegations and called her a “strong ambassador.”
“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,” Mr. Rubio told reporters.
Late last week, reports suggested that the State Department’s Inspector General was considering opening a probe into the allegations against Ms. Guilfoyle. It remains unclear if the IG has opened an official investigation.
This article was made available to WMAL via The Washington Times.
