[UPDATE] Trump and Rubio weigh firing Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle over alleged request that a donor pay her $100,000 credit-card bill
No firing confirmed; the State Department inspector general is looking into the allegations.
Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are weighing whether to remove Guilfoyle, per Fox News, The Guardian and The Washington Post. No decision has been announced. The allegation: she asked a Trump donor to pay a $100,000 credit-card bill, per Fox News, the Washington Examiner and CBS News. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (Sen-R Wyoming) calls the reports troubling. He expects a probe. Her lawyer says the messages are not real.
PREVIOUSLY
- Oct. 7 — In Athens, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Guilfoyle "a strong ambassador."
- Oct. 8 — Messages showed Guilfoyle asked a Trump donor, before her confirmation hearing, to pay her American Express bill.
- Oct. 9 — Donor Eric Deters called it "pay to play" and said he never paid. Her attorney called the texts fake. House Democrats demanded her records by Oct. 22.
- Oct. 10 — The State Department inspector general opened an investigation. Trump said, "I just heard about it, too bad she was always very nice."
- Oct. 11 — The Wall Street Journal published texts in which she offered donors access to Trump.
The allegations:
- Alleged request: a Trump donor would pay her $100,000 credit-card bill while she offered access to administration officials
- Donor Eric Deters did not make the payment, per Fox's account of the Journal reporting
- State Department inspector general is investigating, per Fox News and The Guardian