Kimberly Guilfoyle denies allegations of misconduct as she resigns as US ambassador to Greece – live

2026/10/13

Categories: world-news

From

2h ago

Kimberly Guilfoyle denies allegations of misconduct in statement announcing resignation

Kimberly Guilfoyle, who White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia said earlier was asked to resign as the US ambassador to Greece, denied allegations of engaging in misconduct in a statement announcing her resignation.

“These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity. I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional,” Guilfoyle said in a post shared to X.

“I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service,” her statement continued.

Despite the call for her resignation earlier today, Guilfoyle remained steadfast in her support of President Trump.

“My gratitude and respect for President Trump and Secretary Rubio remain unwavering. I am proud of what we accomplished together, and I will always be a loyal supporter of President Trump and his mission to Make America Great Again.”

Key events

Six GOP senators condemn Trump deal to lift Russian diesel sanctions

Six Republican senators have condemned the Trump administration’s deal to lift sanctions on Russia’s diesel exports in a new letter to the president alongside Democrats.

Led by Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, the lawmakers write that the “deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our Allies” and call for it to be “rescinded”. Four of the GOP senators – Thom Tillis, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and John Curtis – joined some of their Democratic colleagues on the foreign relations committee to decry the move over the weekend.

All of them, as well as John Cornyn, the outgoing Republican senator from Texas, and Mitch McConnell, the GOP senator who only recently returned to Capitol Hill after a months-long absence and will also leave Congress at the end of his term, signed on to the letter.

“We also recognize the urgent need to lower energy costs for American families and address the disruptions caused by the war with Iran,” they wrote. “However, allowing Russian-origin diesel into global markets will offer limited to no relief to Americans. It will have a negligible impact on fuel prices, but the revenues the Kremlin will receive from this agreement will undoubtedly finance its desired war of attrition and advance its security cooperation with China, Iran, and North Korea.”

This comes as energy analysts tell the Guardian that the amount of diesel – and the time it will take to arrive in the US – will have little impact for American consumers.

Helena Smith

Helena Smith

Reporting from Athens

Only hours earlier the Greek government denied any suggestion that Kimberly Guilfoyle was on her way out.

“There has been no relevant request, nor has it been discussed with Greek authorities,” the government spokesperson, Pavlos Marinakis, said when asked if Guilfoyle would resign.

But speculation had been rife. The allegations of misconduct engulfing the envoy were not only embarrassing for Guilfoyle. The Greek media had begun to speak of the US embassy being ‘headless’ and dysfunctional only days after US secretary of state Marco Rubio’s high-profile visit to the country.

“If truth be told, she is not respected in Athens,” one well-placed insider told the Guardian. “Before any of this, important people had begun to think of her as money hungry. In private dinners she would be drunk before the meal was over. It was embarrassing.”

Alec Mally, a former senior US diplomat who had handled Greek affairs at the US state department, told the Guardian the American embassy in Athens had been put “in an impossible situation because the ambassador had increasingly come across almost as if she were representing an old-style Balkan country.”

“With allegations multiplying daily, the question was whether her Trump family Teflon was anywhere near sufficient to keep her in the job,” Mally said. “It would not surprise me if the Greek public reacts with joy to the news of her resignation.”

Although there were some who argued the direct access to Trump “outweighed all the negatives” there were many who thought her appointment had been “an insult to the country’s reputation,” he added.

In recent weeks Guilfoyle had done what she had rarely done in the whirlwind eleven months since she assumed the post: she had remained out of sight. But reported claims she had told Greece’s energy minister that Washington was capable of toppling any government - including the centre-right administration in Athens - if they didn’t tow the line had stirred outrage. On the left where many have still not forgotten Washington’s support of the 1967-74 military dictatorship, Guilfolye’s comments had caused widespread consternation.

On 9 October, in a stormy debate in parliament, Greece’s foreign minister Giorgos Gerapetritis was forced to deny the claim – one of several surrounding the US envoy’s alleged improper behaviour reported by the Wall Street Journal – but not before the prominent left wing politician and former deputy foreign minister Sia Anagnostopoulos had said it was “a question of national dignity that the American ambassador is called to give an explanation.”

Within hours of arriving in Greece, Guilfoyle was seen at a bouzouki music club attending a party thrown by a popular singer who would go on to be one of her closest friends in Athens. “I think we can safely say she was like no ambassador Greece has ever seen before,” said one official speaking on condition of anonymity. “Her first visit to parliament was unforgettable with the entire house of [male] MPs lining up like schoolchildren to greet her. I don’t think that in these uncertain times many will be shedding tears at the news of her departure.”

Federal judge orders Trump administration to pause work on historic DC golf course, AP reports

Federal judge Ana Reyes issued a temporary restraining order on Tuesday to pause tree-cutting at the East Potomac Golf Course until 26 October.

The tree removals come as Trump has moved to turn the course into a world-class golf venue – part of his grand vision for Washington DC, since the beginning of his second presidency in early 2025.

Reyes’s ruling came after she issued a 24-hour pause to tree cutting, yesterday, while she decided on an emergency order from plaintiffs concerned that Donald Trump’s plans for the course are moving forward despite a pending court case challenging them.

President Trump said that the lift to sanctions on Russia selling diesel fuel will be used to support the world market, when asked if there are concerns that Russia will use the lift to support its war with Ukraine.

“Nobody has told me anything,” he said. “That’s a diesel deal not for us. That’s being released into the world. That’s not being released to us,” Trump responded.

“That’s a diesel deal that is going to be released into the world for the world market because the world market suffered with high prices. And when you knock out diesel refineries, that’s not a great thing,” the president concluded.

President Trump accused that the Yemen Houthis of “purposefully trying to drive up oil prices,” ahead of the US midterms.

“The Houthis are behaving very badly. I thought they learned their lesson a year ago when we bombed the HELL out of them and, at their request, stopped,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

“They’ve been silent for a long time, but now they’ve emerged again, probably at the behest of Iran, which is a Failing Nation, with No Navy, No Airforce, the World’s Worst Economy, and 301% Inflation, in a very nasty way, hitting Saudi Arabia, and purposefully trying to drive up Oil Prices, probably prior to the U.S. Elections — NOT NICE,” the president continued.

Kimberly Guilfoyle denies allegations of misconduct in statement announcing resignation

Kimberly Guilfoyle, who White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia said earlier was asked to resign as the US ambassador to Greece, denied allegations of engaging in misconduct in a statement announcing her resignation.

“These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity. I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional,” Guilfoyle said in a post shared to X.

“I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service,” her statement continued.

Despite the call for her resignation earlier today, Guilfoyle remained steadfast in her support of President Trump.

“My gratitude and respect for President Trump and Secretary Rubio remain unwavering. I am proud of what we accomplished together, and I will always be a loyal supporter of President Trump and his mission to Make America Great Again.”

Trump also teased, again, the possibility of helping Saudi Arabia in its ongoing conflict against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, after an attack over the weekend at Riyadh’s main international airport killed 13 people.

“The Houthis have acted very badly,” Trump said, noting that he wouldn’t reveal if he had made a decision.

He also said that he “might” encourage President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey to help the operation in Yemen. “He’s a great friend of mine,” Trump said.

It wasn’t immediately clear what Katie Zacharia answered when reporters asked her today when and where she passed the bar exam to practice law.

The State Bar of California doesn’t yield any results for Zacharia, or her maiden name – Black.

The new press secretary will now travel with the president over the coming days for several campaign rallies in Alaska, Arizona and Montana.

Trump says that US is still sharing intelligence with Ukraine

Speaking to reporters outside the White House, with the new press secretary waiting in the background, Donald Trump said the US is still sharing intelligence with Ukraine, after the president and Volodymyr Zelenskyy feuded this weekend, following the announcement that the US would lift diesel sanctions on Russia.

“We are helping them, and we are sharing intel. We want the war to end. So we’re working with them and with Russia on getting the war to end,” Trump said, after Katie Zacharia was unable to answer the question in the briefing room earlier.

“Honestly, they both want it to end, and they don’t know how to get to that point. There’s a lot of hatred there between the two of them,” the president added.

And as the midterms come sharply into view, my colleague Rachel Leingang has compiled a list of the 10 under-the-radar races in this election that are worth watching.

From Senate competitions to House races that have now caught our attention in this final sprint, here are the ones we’re keeping an eye on:

While speaking to reporters, JD Vance also addressed the reports that top Republican donor groups are pulling support from certain races throughout the country, particularly key House races they once saw as competitive.

One of those is for New Jersey’s seventh congressional district, where Republican incumbent Tom Kean Jr is facing Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former US navy helicopter pilot. A reminder that Kean was absent from Congress for several months this year, which led to immense speculation, before he revealed that he was being treated for depression.

“Look, New Jersey is a very blue state. It was always going to be a really, really big thing for us to win in New Jersey,” Vance said, when discussing the GOP’s chances at holding on to the lower chamber. “I think there are a number of races, for example, in Minnesota, in traditionally blue areas, where we think we have a real chance. So I think the nature of a midterm election is sometimes these races have more of an individual rather than a national character. I feel good about where we are.”

Vance says he 'did not have advance notice' about Omar house raid

Vance also said today that he “did not have advance notice” that Ilhan Omar’s Washington home was being raided by federal agents.

“We try to let the law follow the facts rather than creating facts just to prosecute people we don’t like. And because of that, I think the president and I largely try to stay out of Department of Justice investigations and other prosecutions,” the vice-president claimed. “Now, I do know that there are some serious allegations against Ilhan Omar. We’re going to look into those. And again, if there’s a real case there, we’re going to follow the facts. If there’s not a real case there, then we won’t.”

While Trump prepares to head to Wasilla, Alaska today, vice-president JD Vance will be in Tyler, Texas to campaign for Ken Paxton, the beleaguered Republican attorney general in a competitive Senate race against Democratic state legislator James Talarico.

Speaking to reporters Vance said acknowledged that Paxton, who is trailing Talarico in recent polling, is in a “tight race”.

“I think he’s ultimately going to win,” the vice-president said. “I know from personal history, when a lot of money comes against you, that can have an effect even in the red state.”

Republican aligned groups, however, have spent more than $170m to boost Paxton’s chances, outpacing the amount Democratic groups have spent supporting Talarico’s bid.

Supreme court agrees to hear watchdog lawsuit seeking records on Elon Musk’s Doge

Ariana Baio

The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to hear a case that could decide whether the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) must release information that is requested under the Freedom of Information Act (Foia).

The Trump administration had asked the high court to intervene in the dispute between Doge and a government watchdog group called Citizens of Responsibility and Ethics. The group had requested internal communications between Doge leaders, Doge employees and government officials.

Doge, a government initiative led by Elon Musk, played a key role in mass firings of government employees, restructuring federal agencies and widespread cancelation of government contracts.

Administration officials have argued Doge is not required to comply with Foia requests because it is not an official agency; rather, it is a presidential advisory group.

Overall, Zacharia kept her briefing short, and only took five questions from three reporters.

On foreign policy, Zacharia was unable to answer whether the US had stopped sharing intel with Ukraine, after Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy feuded over the US president’s decision to lift sanction on Russian diesel imports.

White House says it has asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign as US ambassador to Greece

Katie Zacharia said today the administration has asked Kimberley Guilfoyle, the US ambassador to Greece, to resign.

“She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well,” the new press secretary said at her first media briefing, without providing any further details.

A reminder that Guilfoyle, who was once engaged to Donald Trump Jr, the president’s son, was under immense scrutiny after the Wall Street Journal reported on a series of questionable acts prior to securing her role in Athens. This included an alleged threat to a host country official, accepting improper gifts and services and offering to wield influence inside the administration in return for the payment of a $100,000 credit card bill.

Zacharia also said she would travel with the president for his upcoming allies in Alaska, Arizona and Montana, in the final three-week sprint until the midterm elections.

She has also run through many of the White House talking points touting the administration’s self-proclaimed achievements.

“Real wages are up 1.2% since President Trump took office, with average annual earnings outpacing inflation by $800,” Zacharia said. However, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), inflation, which sits at 3.4%, is still outpacing wage growth, currently at 3.1%.

Katie Zacharia has just stepped up to the podium as she kicks off her tenure as White House press secretary.

“I want to thank President Trump for his trust that he has placed in me. I have wanted to work for him for a very long time,” Zacharia told a briefing room packed with reporters. “I’m looking forward to working with each of you as well, especially as we are in the middle of the midterm blitz, with energy and excitement never seen before.”

Federal judge set to issue ruling on White House media ban

Today we can expect a ruling from federal judge on the administration’s attempts to ban CNN, Politico and MS Now from the White House.

A reminder that Judge Timothy Kelly temporarily blocked Donald Trump from blocking the newsrooms, and extended this pause until Tuesday 13 October. In court last week, a lawyer for the three outlets insisted that the ban violated the first amendment, and that the administration’s reasoning was squarely based on the fact that Trump does not like their coverage. He also undermined the justice department’s claims that the newsrooms compromised national security through their reporting.

Kelly has also expressed criticism at the White House’s decision to revoke access without providing ample notice to CNN, Politico and MS Now.

The outlets are requesting that Kelly extend his temporary restraining order while the litigation plays out. We’ll bring you the latest as we hear more.

>> Home