Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to discuss allegations that U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle asked a political donor for $100,000 to cover an American Express bill, telling reporters on Oct. 8 that he did not know whether the report was true. The exchange took place at Athens airport as Rubio prepared to leave Greece.
The allegations were reported by The Wall Street Journal a day earlier. The newspaper said it reviewed Signal messages and interviewed donor Eric Deters. According to its account, Guilfoyle sought the money shortly before her Senate confirmation hearing and offered to help bring Deters’ personal tax and legal issues to the Trump administration’s attention. These claims have not been independently established by the other coverage described in the available dossier.
Rubio’s response
Rubio said he would not address the matter at a press conference or on a tarmac in a foreign country, according to The Associated Press. Earlier on Oct. 8, he praised the work of the U.S. Embassy in Greece and described Guilfoyle as a strong ambassador.
Rubio did not say whether he would open an investigation into the allegations. AP reported that congressional Democrats had called for an investigation.
Disputed messages and responses
The Independent, citing the Journal’s reporting, said Deters did not pay the requested money. That detail does not resolve whether the request was made or whether Guilfoyle offered assistance in return.
Guilfoyle’s lawyer, Jesse Binnall, disputed the authenticity of the messages, but the available account does not specify the basis for that challenge. An embassy official defended Guilfoyle’s record and said she had been vetted and confirmed by the Senate. Those statements are responses to the report, not independent findings about the messages or the alleged offer.
The evidence available in the reporting leaves the central claims unresolved. The Journal’s account is the source of the allegations, while AP confirms Rubio’s response and The Independent reports the denial of the messages’ authenticity and the embassy’s defense. The available coverage does not independently establish that the messages are genuine or that the alleged offer occurred.