How a $100,000 donor allegation put Guilfoyle’s Greece post in question

Trump and Rubio are weighing Guilfoyle’s future

The senior official cited by AP said Trump and Rubio were likely to decide after the federal holiday what action to take. AP reported no decision to remove Guilfoyle had been made.

That possible personnel decision is distinct from the question Meeks has asked the watchdog to examine: whether Guilfoyle’s reported conduct violated law, department rules or ethics requirements. A decision about her job would not by itself resolve the donor’s disputed account.

Rubio previously praised Guilfoyle’s work as ambassador but declined to say whether he would open an investigation into the allegations. He told PBS News, “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.” Meeks has said Guilfoyle should be removed if the allegations are substantiated.

Meeks seeks an investigation and sworn testimony

Meeks asked the State Department inspector general to examine Guilfoyle’s reported dealings with Deters and a foreign company. He also asked Guilfoyle to appear before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and answer questions under oath.

The request asks the watchdog to consider possible violations of federal law, State Department rules and ethics requirements, including conflicts of interest and abuse of authority. Those are areas Meeks wants investigated, not established findings about Guilfoyle.

The company-related reporting concerns Guilfoyle’s dealings with a Greek construction and energy company and its lobbyist. It is separate from Deters’s allegation about a payment request; the two matters should not be treated as evidence for each other. Meeks’s request to the inspector general also asks for Guilfoyle’s testimony before the committee.

Deters says the request was tied to access

Deters, a businessman and former Kentucky congressional candidate, says Guilfoyle asked him for $100,000 toward her American Express bill. He says he understood the request to be connected to access to senior administration officials, and that she did not provide the access he sought. Deters says he did not transfer the money.

In an interview with PBS News, Deters said he came forward after administration figures did not assist with his effort concerning Dr. Durrani. He described the alleged arrangement to CBS News, saying, “It was quid pro quo.” That is Deters’s characterization of the alleged exchange.

CBS News reported that messages Deters provided were dated July 3, 2025, before Guilfoyle’s July 9 Senate confirmation hearing. Guilfoyle’s attorney disputed the authenticity of messages attributed to her, NBC News reported. AP reported that her lawyer said she did nothing wrong, and that Guilfoyle had not addressed the reports directly.

Watchdog and records requests remain pending

NBC News reported on Oct. 9, citing two people familiar with the decision, that the State Department inspector general and the U.S. Embassy in Greece were under investigation. The inspector general’s office said it does not confirm, deny or comment on investigations, while the State Department declined to comment. AP reported Sunday that a U.S. official could not confirm whether a formal probe had begun.

Separately, House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia had asked Guilfoyle for financial records and two years of communications with Deters and administration officials, with an Oct. 22 deadline. PBS News reported on that request before Meeks sought the inspector general’s investigation and Guilfoyle’s sworn testimony.

The next developments include whether Guilfoyle responds to Meeks’s request to testify, whether she provides the records sought by House Oversight by its stated deadline, and what action Trump and Rubio take after the Oct. 12 holiday. Meeks’s request and the reported deliberations put both congressional scrutiny and the ambassador’s post in focus.