--- title: "Gospel at the Foot of the Plane: Kimberly Guilfoyle’s Short Reign in Athens Ends" description: "Trump’s ambassador to Greece resigns after weeks of reports that she traded on her office — allegations she calls false" author: "Jan Sokol" published: 2026-10-13T14:10:04.719Z modified: 2026-10-13T17:06:36Z url: https://rews.cc/a/gospel-at-the-foot-of-the-plane-kimberly-guilfoyle-s-short-r-8e0b72 language: en tags: ["trump", "politics", "rubio", "diplomacy", "ethics", "us"] publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)" --- # Gospel at the Foot of the Plane: Kimberly Guilfoyle’s Short Reign in Athens Ends *Trump’s ambassador to Greece resigns after weeks of reports that she traded on her office — allegations she calls false* By Jan Sokol · October 13, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/gospel-at-the-foot-of-the-plane-kimberly-guilfoyle-s-short-r-8e0b72 ## In brief - Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned as U.S. ambassador to Greece; the administration said it asked her to leave - The Wall Street Journal reported alleged threats to a Greek official, improper gifts and a $100,000 donor payment request - Guilfoyle denies all allegations; her lawyers say the money was a pre-nomination speaking fee - Marco Rubio first defended her, then berated reporters in Athens; the State Department IG is reportedly looking into the claims - Greek opposition called the affair an issue of national dignity; Democrats Meeks, Shaheen and Garcia sought an investigation In the end it moved quickly, the way courtiers fall in every capital: whispers on the weekend, displeasure on Monday, departure by Tuesday. Kimberly Guilfoyle, the American ambassador to Greece, has resigned after weeks of published reports about her conduct — and after her president, asked whether he might fire her, declined to defend her. “Well, we’re looking at it,” Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday. “We’re not happy.” As [the Associated Press reported](https://bostonglobe.com/2026/10/13/nation/kimberly-guilfoyle-greece-resign-trump/) the same day, citing a senior U.S. official, Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were “extremely pissed off” by the reported conduct and had been expected to decide her future this week. The administration said it had asked her to leave the post. ## The dossier The case against Guilfoyle was assembled in public, in installments, by The Wall Street Journal, in a series beginning in late September. The first report said she had told guests at a reception that the United States could undermine the Greek government if it chose to, that she had promoted the business interests of one particular Greek construction and energy company, and that she had allowed the company’s lobbyist into private diplomatic meetings. Later installments, citing text messages, said she had asked a Trump donor to pay a $100,000 credit card bill just before her confirmation hearing, promising access to administration officials in return; that she had raged at being left off the guest list of a Greek-themed event at the World Economic Forum in Davos while boasting of luxury travel to France with energy executives; and that she had threatened a host-country official, accepted improper gifts and services, and pushed the limits of what befits the chief representative of the United States in Athens. Britain’s Daily Mail added that she had alienated the staff of her own embassy. ![A golden key with a classical temple forming its head stretches diagonally across a teal background.](https://rews.cc/img/832b1236a3540e58ee1c916bc2f79a2022035ffd.webp) Guilfoyle answered on X: “These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity.” She added: “I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional. I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service.” Her lawyers, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, said in a statement Sunday that the money sought from the Trump donor was no bribe but an unpaid fee — for public appearances and speaking engagements predating her nomination. As for travel on private planes, they said that before every such flight she “sought, obtained and followed State Department guidance and followed the Department’s travel regulations.” ## Rubio, at the foot of the plane Rubio’s own journey with the affair traced the arc of an empire’s patience. After the first report he defended her; last week he said, “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.” Then came another report, and on Thursday, departing Athens, he turned on the journalists asking about it — while Guilfoyle herself stood by, come to see him off. > 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. ![A suited man waves beside microphones as airplane boarding stairs merge into a giant raised hand against a blue background.](https://rews.cc/img/8070ec3334d3b881f86697099ce489065d7164b3.webp) A second U.S. official, speaking anonymously about personnel matters, told the AP that the State Department’s inspector general was looking into the allegations — though the official could not say whether a formal investigation had begun. Such inquiries often remain informal and end without disciplinary action. The State Department declined to comment. The top Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees, Rep. Gregory Meeks and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, joined by Rep. Robert Garcia of the House oversight committee, had already called for an investigation. ## An issue of national dignity In Athens the scandal had a second audience: the governed. Greek opposition parties demanded the Foreign Ministry summon the ambassador to answer the allegations. “This, most importantly, is an issue of national dignity,” Sia Anagnostopoulou, a former deputy foreign minister, told parliament on Friday. Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis replied that Guilfoyle had been treated “the same way as every other ambassador” and that a summons had not been necessary. Hours before her resignation was announced, Guilfoyle posted photographs of her meeting this week with Spain’s ambassador to Athens, and birthday wishes for Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law — set to Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night,” from the 2023 *Barbie* soundtrack. The choreography of an ambassador’s final day has rarely looked so ordinary, or so strangely serene. Guilfoyle came to the embassy by an unusual road: a former California prosecutor, a former Fox News host, once married to Gavin Newsom — now the Democratic governor of California — and formerly engaged to the president’s son, Donald Jr. Power had made her an ambassador; the reporting on what she did with that power unmade her in under a month. She says she will fight to clear her name. The inspector general, formally or informally, may yet have more to say.