Rubio dismisses Guilfoyle donor-payment questions during Athens visit

Democrats press for State Department review of ambassador’s conduct

Rubio dismissed questions from reporters on Wednesday in Athens, where he was meeting Greek officials alongside Guilfoyle. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Guilfoyle had asked Deters, a Trump donor and attorney, to pay a $100,000 American Express balance before her US Senate confirmation hearing, allegedly promising access to the Trump administration in return. Rubio refused to respond to the latest allegations against Guilfoyle, the second report of its kind in a month, and instead described the embassy in Athens as performing strongly.

“You guys somehow 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,” Rubio told reporters, according to the Guardian’s account of the exchange. He added that “our embassy here is doing a great job” and “our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.”

Deters shared text messages with the Wall Street Journal that he said he had exchanged with Guilfoyle. In one message, Guilfoyle reportedly wrote, “Honey please I need you to get this done for me today.” Deters told the newspaper that Guilfoyle had promised she would “be your Trump ride or die, forever and ever” if he made the payment. Deters said he never made the payment.

A lawyer for Guilfoyle told the Wall Street Journal that she was “owed a balance” for travel and for speaking at events before her nomination. Deters disputed the claim, telling the newspaper that he did not owe Guilfoyle any balance. The lawyer also disputed the authenticity of the messages Deters shared with the newspaper, according to the Guardian.

The new allegations follow a September Wall Street Journal report that Guilfoyle had used her position to invite Greek lobbyists to sit in on official diplomatic meetings and had promoted the business interests of a particular Greek construction and energy company. Concerns about that conduct prompted the first round of congressional pressure on Rubio.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent Rubio a letter on Tuesday asking him to open an investigation. “Such actions do not serve US credibility overseas and risk undermining US diplomacy,” Shaheen wrote. “In advance of your upcoming travel to Greece, I request an immediate review of Ambassador Guilfoyle’s actions and a clarification of what steps have and will be taken to avoid undue influence and even the appearance of a conflict of interest.”

Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a similar letter in September. “If these reports are accurate, Ambassador Guilfoyle is unfit to represent the United States abroad and should be removed from her position,” Meeks wrote. The Guardian reported that as of Wednesday it was unclear whether Shaheen or Meeks would follow up with further requests for information on the latest report, and that the paper had asked both for comment.

Guilfoyle, 57, was previously a member of the Trump family’s inner circle. She was engaged to Donald Trump Jr., the US president’s eldest son, for roughly three years; the couple ended their engagement in 2024. President Trump nominated Guilfoyle to be ambassador to Greece shortly after taking office.