Rubio Declines to Address Guilfoyle Misconduct Allegations

Secretary of State Marco Rubio twice this week declined to discuss a Wall Street Journal investigation into the conduct of Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, even as he publicly defended her performance in the post. Asked about the allegations Wednesday at a joint news conference in Athens, Rubio said, "This is not the forum where we're going to address this," before adding that "our embassy here is doing a great job, our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here," according to an Associated Press report.

The following morning, speaking to reporters on the tarmac before departing Greece, Rubio said he was aware of the Journal's reporting but did not know whether it was accurate and would not comment on it further. He pushed back on the press corps directly, saying, "It's not the gospel. It's not the gospel for me," a rebuke of what he characterized as treating anonymously sourced reporting as established fact, CTV News reported.

What the Journal reported

The newspaper's most recent account, published this week, said Guilfoyle asked a Trump donor and supporter to cover a $100,000 credit card bill shortly before her Senate confirmation hearing, offering access to administration officials in exchange. That followed an earlier Journal investigation, published in late September, reporting that Guilfoyle had brought Christos Marafatsos, a lobbyist for the Greek construction and energy conglomerate Aktor, into meetings with foreign officials and had encouraged those governments to do business with the company. Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and California prosecutor, has disputed the Journal's account through her attorney, and a U.S. Embassy official in Greece said she "continues to follow all State Department ethical guidelines."

Democrats press for an investigation

Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote to Rubio on Oct. 1 arguing that, "If these reports are accurate, Ambassador Guilfoyle is unfit to represent the United States abroad and should be removed from her position," according to wire coverage of the letter. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who had voted to confirm Guilfoyle, sent a separate letter warning that "such actions do not serve U.S. credibility overseas and risk undermining U.S. diplomacy."

Neither lawmaker's committee has subpoena power over the executive branch without broader support, and Rubio has not said whether the State Department will open a formal inquiry. Guilfoyle, a longtime ally of President Trump who previously served as a top fundraiser for his political operation, has held the Athens post since early in the administration's second term. Her removal would require action by Rubio or the White House; both have so far signaled continued support, even as the secretary avoids engaging with the substance of the allegations themselves.