The WatchlistWatch 19
This is a Watchlist entry. It is a developing story reported by credible outlets that hasn't reached a court ruling, official finding or documented harm yet. It says what to watch for. If that happens, it moves to The Record.
The ambassador to Greece asked a donor for $100,000 for her credit card bill, texts show
Developing means: Reported by credible outlets, but no ruling, official finding or documented harm yet.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, asked Republican donor Eric Deters to wire $100,000 to pay her American Express bill days before her Senate confirmation hearing in July 2025, according to messages reviewed by the Wall Street Journal and CBS News. Deters says the request came with the understanding that she would help him with the administration, and that he never paid.
What happened
The Journal, which reported the messages on Oct. 7, 2026, said they show months of exchanges in which Deters, a Kentucky lawyer and businessman, sought help with tax and legal problems and offered up to $1 million if she helped, and that Guilfoyle forwarded his messages to the IRS and said she was lobbying the Justice Department for him. In a July 3, 2025 message she wrote that wiring money to American Express would not show up anywhere and asked him to get it done that day; her hearing was July 9.
Deters told CBS News he regards it as a quid pro quo and made up an excuse not to pay, that he had given her $300,000 over the years without a favor in return, and that she should lose the ambassadorship. CBS reported that White House officials were told the texts are authentic and that some Trump aides were displeased. Guilfoyle had earlier drawn scrutiny for promoting a Greek company whose lobbyist traveled with her in the Balkans.
What to watch for
Whether the State Department's inspector general, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee or the Justice Department opens an inquiry, whether Guilfoyle is removed or resigns, and whether any records show she sought help for Deters from the IRS or the Justice Department in return. If no inquiry follows and the accounts are not substantiated, this comes off the list.
The administration's side
Guilfoyle called Deters's accusation completely false and sent CBS News a letter she wrote to IRS Commissioner Billy Long as evidence of her work on his tax issue. Her lawyer told the Journal he disputed the authenticity of the messages but did not say why. A U.S. Embassy official said she was vetted by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and confirmed by the full Senate and remains committed to serving the American people.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked in Greece, said the story was not the gospel and had been posted only hours earlier; Vice President Vance said he did not love the hypothetical but did not know the details. The State Department and the White House did not give CBS News a statement.
Sources
Permanent link: https://unredactedrecord.com/e/w-guilfoyle/