The State Department's Office of Inspector General has opened a formal investigation into Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, and the U.S. Embassy in Athens, the Daily Mail reported on October 8. Five sources confirmed the probe, which examines allegations of potential substance abuse, use of private planes and helicopters, improper acceptance of gifts, and Guilfoyle's close relationship with a Greek energy and construction company. Embassy staff described conditions as "toxic" and reaching a "breaking point," with some calling her treatment of employees "tyrannical."
The Daily Mail separately reported that Guilfoyle demanded comped meals, top-of-the-line wine, and a $58,000 basketball court at her Athens residence. While drinking in Mykonos, she allegedly had a security agent — a grandfather named Vasili — demoted after he failed to deliver ice at 4 a.m. Two embassy drivers were also reportedly demoted over how they made a left turn.
The probe follows a Wall Street Journal report published October 7: on July 3, 2025 — six days before her Senate confirmation hearing — Guilfoyle texted Republican donor Eric Deters asking him to secretly wire $100,000 to her American Express account, writing that "it won't show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express." Deters declined, saying he could not afford it without getting divorced.
According to the Journal's reporting, based on hundreds of messages exchanged in 2025, Deters had sought Guilfoyle's help in drawing the new Trump administration's attention to his personal tax and legal troubles, promising payments as high as $1 million if she succeeded. Guilfoyle allegedly promised to be his "Trump ride or die" and updated him on her efforts with the IRS chief and the Justice Department. Deters said he had already paid Guilfoyle $300,000 in speaking fees over several years.
Guilfoyle's attorney disputed the authenticity of the messages published by the Journal without specifying which ones were challenged, and described some payments as unpaid speaking fees. The U.S. Embassy in Athens and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have publicly defended her record; Rubio called her "a strong ambassador" but refused to comment on the Journal's reporting. Vice President Vance said he was uncomfortable with access-for-pay schemes in general but could not say the reported case was reflective of that.
Democratic members of the Senate and House foreign affairs committees have called on the State Department to review Guilfoyle's conduct. The State Department has not publicly confirmed the inspector general investigation. Guilfoyle was nominated to the Athens post by President Donald Trump in December 2024; she had been engaged to Donald Trump Jr., co-hosted Fox News' "The Five," and served as an assistant district attorney in San Francisco and Los Angeles before her media career.
What comes next depends on whether the inspector general's inquiry produces formal findings — and whether the State Department breaks its silence. For a sitting ambassador, a formal investigation alone is already a rare and serious blow.