Kimberly Guilfoyle, the embattled U.S. ambassador to Greece, said Tuesday that serving in the role “has been the honor of a lifetime,” shortly after the White House revealed she had been asked to step down.
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia announced during her first press briefing that the Trump administration had asked Guilfoyle to resign. The move follows several reports alleging misconduct, including claims that she asked a GOP donor to pay off a credit card bill.
Following Zacharia’s briefing, Guilfoyle released a statement on social media expressing gratitude to the president and the secretary of state.
“I will forever be grateful to President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for entrusting me with the extraordinary privilege of representing the greatest country in the history of the world,” Guilfoyle said.
She made clear that her loyalty to the president and his movement remains unchanged.
“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 added.
Guilfoyle also pushed back hard against the allegations that led to her ouster, insisting they “are false and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity.”
“I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional,” she said. “I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service.”
The Wall Street Journal published a series of reports about Guilfoyle in recent days. In one, the outlet reported that she asked Trump donor and supporter Eric Deters to wire her $100,000 to cover her American Express bill.
In another report, the Journal alleged that Guilfoyle boasted about her ties to two Greek tycoons who were financing her luxury travel.
Reports had suggested that both Trump and Rubio were frustrated by the allegations and were weighing how much longer the ambassador would remain in her post.
On Monday, Trump said the administration was “not happy” about the allegations and that the matter was being looked at.
By Tuesday, the president said he had not spoken with Guilfoyle, but he made his feelings about the reports clear, saying he “didn’t like what I read.”
“She went to Greece. She was doing a good job, but we didn’t like what we were reading,” Trump said.
The announcement marks a swift conclusion to the controversy, coming just one day after the president publicly acknowledged that the administration was reviewing the allegations against her.
Guilfoyle, for her part, signaled she is not backing down from the fight to clear her name, even as she prepares to leave her diplomatic post. Her statement struck a defiant tone, rejecting the accusations outright while reaffirming her support for the president who appointed her.
The White House’s decision to request her resignation underscores the administration’s displeasure with the reports, as Trump and Rubio had reportedly been weighing her future in the role amid the mounting allegations.
