Guilfoyle, who resigned Tuesday after the Trump administration requested it, was still playing defense when the Journal reported last week that she asked Trump ally Eric Deters for $100,000 to cover her credit card debt before her confirmation hearing ― and requested the payment be made by wire so it could go undetected. In exchange, Guilfoyle promised Deters access to the administration, according to the article.
Guilfoyle insisted to White House officials that the texts were AI-generated, but they did not believe her, “people familiar with the matter” told the Journal.
A follow-up article revealing more alleged corruption reportedly prompted her to accuse personnel in the Athens embassy and her security team of leaks. The request for Guilfoyle to quit resulted from the administration’s fears that the accusations would reinforce perceptions of self-dealing before the midterms, the Journal wrote.
“Serving as the United States Ambassador to Greece has been the honor of a lifetime. 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,” she wrote.
“I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service. … 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.