Text messages published in July 2025 reveal that Kimberly Guilfoyle, U.S. Ambassador to Greece, asked Republican donor Eric Deters to wire $100,000 to pay her American Express credit card debt shortly before her Senate confirmation hearing. Deters alleges the request was a quid pro quo for access to high-ranking Trump administration officials. The State Department's Office of the Inspector General has opened an investigation into the matter, while Administration officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance have dismissed or cautioned against relying on the accusations.
Guilfoyle's $100,000 credit card request
- ▪Kimberly Guilfoyle sent Eric Deters a PDF with American Express payment instructions on July 3, 2025, six days before her Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing
- ▪Text messages published in July 2025 show U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle asked Republican donor Eric Deters to wire $100,000 to pay her American Express credit card bill
- ▪Eric Deters stated that Kimberly Guilfoyle offered access to top Trump administration officials in exchange for paying her $100,000 credit card debt
- ▪Eric Deters declined Kimberly Guilfoyle's $100,000 payment request on July 3, 2025, stating in a message that his wife would not agree to sending her the money
Deters's requests for Guilfoyle's help
- ▪Eric Deters sought assistance from Kimberly Guilfoyle regarding an IRS tax deduction dispute and the extradition of Dr. Abubakar Durrani from Pakistan
- ▪Eric Deters promised Kimberly Guilfoyle $1 million if Dr. Abubakar Durrani settled his legal cases over the Ohio fraud charges and if Guilfoyle helped book Deters on Tucker Carlson's podcast
Instructions to avoid written documentation
- ▪In a text message sent in January 2025, Kimberly Guilfoyle warned Eric Deters that his written documentation would cost her the ambassadorship to Greece
- ▪In text messages from July 2025 provided by Eric Deters, Kimberly Guilfoyle instructed him to use the encrypted messaging app Signal and to stop creating written documentation
Investigations and congressional inquiries
- ▪Representative Gregory Meeks sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio requesting information regarding ethics allegations concerning Kimberly Guilfoyle
- ▪The State Department's Office of the Inspector General launched an investigation into U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle following Eric Deters's financial exchange claims
Official responses to the allegations
- ▪Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to address allegations regarding Kimberly Guilfoyle during an October 8, 2026 press conference on a tarmac in Athens
- ▪Vice President JD Vance stated on October 9, 2026 that allegations against Kimberly Guilfoyle that she sought $100,000 from Eric Deters represent 'one person's story' and should not be tried in the court of public opinion
- ▪An official at the U.S. Embassy in Athens defended Kimberly Guilfoyle, stating she was fully vetted by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and confirmed by the Senate
Debatable claims
- ▪Promising administration access to political donors is routine networking rather than illegal quid pro quo
- ▪The State Department is right to defer judgment on Kimberly Guilfoyle pending formal investigation results
- ▪Eric Deters's text messages provide sufficient evidence of corrupt influence peddling
- ▪Kimberly Guilfoyle should resign as U.S. Ambassador to Greece
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