Sources Say State Department Inspector General Is Probing Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle as Donor Alleges $100,000 Request

A State Department inspector general investigation into U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle and the embassy she runs is underway, according to two people familiar with the decision who spoke to NBC News. The Daily Mail separately reported that five sources confirmed a formal probe. The OIG itself says it can neither confirm nor deny active investigations.

No charges have been filed. No findings have been issued. What exists so far is a donor's allegation, a set of messages whose authenticity is disputed, and a pile of anonymous complaints.

The $100,000 allegation

The central claim comes from Eric Deters, a Kentucky legal consultant, former congressional candidate and longtime Trump donor. Deters told NBC News on Thursday, Oct. 8, that Guilfoyle asked him to pay off her roughly $100,000 American Express balance in the days before her July 9, 2025 confirmation hearing, in exchange for access to senior administration officials.

"She was so desperate for that $100,000. It was a quid pro quo," Deters said.

The Wall Street Journal first published the messages Wednesday, Oct. 7, after reviewing hundreds of texts, emails and letters. In a July 3, 2025 Signal message, Guilfoyle allegedly wrote: "Honey please I need you to get this done for me today. You could just send it here." In another, she allegedly wrote: "It won't show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express."

The Journal reported that Deters wanted help with personal tax and legal issues and had promised payments of as much as $1 million if she succeeded. Deters did not pay the $100,000. He said it would cost him his marriage. He also says he paid Guilfoyle $300,000 over the years and "not received one favor."

What Guilfoyle's side says

Guilfoyle's lawyer, Jesse Binnall, told the Journal that she disputes the authenticity of the messages. He has not said which ones. He said she had been paid to speak at events before her nomination and "was owed a balance for traveling to and supporting these patriotic events." Deters says he owed her nothing.

Binnall declined to comment on the OIG probe, citing a policy against discussing "internal matters," and told the Daily Mail that "any implication of wrongdoing by the Ambassador is unsupported."

Vice President JD Vance said Friday that "these are accusations" and that "we don't try people in the court of public opinion." He called Deters' claims "one person's story" and added: "Let's actually see what the facts are." The White House had no comment.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, standing with Guilfoyle in Athens on Thursday, rebuffed a reporter's question. "We don't conduct these things in a press conference on a tarmac in a foreign country," he said. "I don't even know if what you're reporting is true." In a statement the White House gave the Journal, Rubio called her an "incredibly effective advocate for the President's agenda."

Asked about the allegations as he left the White House for a rally in Syracuse, President Trump said: "I just heard about it. It's too bad." He added: "She's an ambassador. I don't know too much, but she was always very nice."

The Aktor connection

A separate Journal investigation, which preceded the donor story, focused on Guilfoyle's ties to Christos Marafatsos, a lobbyist for the Greek construction and energy company Aktor. The report says she brought him into meetings with foreign governments across southeastern Europe and promoted Aktor-linked energy projects, and that some officials mistook him for an embassy employee. Federal lobbying records cited in the report show Aktor paid him $160,000 through June 2026.

The Journal also reported that at a March dinner Guilfoyle suggested the U.S. could bring about political change in countries such as Greece, while discussing the impending collapse of then-Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan's government. Her attorney disputes that account. In the Greek Parliament, committee chair Dora Bakoyannis said the claim had already been denied.

Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote to Rubio asking for answers. He wrote that, if the reports are accurate, Guilfoyle is "unfit to represent the United States abroad and should be removed from her position." Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee also urged a State Department review.

Embassy complaints

The Daily Mail, citing sources it did not name, says the inspector general is examining complaints about Guilfoyle's management style, private plane and helicopter use, improper gift acceptance, and her relationship with an energy and construction company. Those claims rest on anonymous sourcing, and the OIG has not confirmed its scope. One insider told the paper: "You receive enough complaints and you open up an investigation. That is the way this works."

A senior diplomatic official told NBC News the news of the probe set off alarm bells across the State Department.

Guilfoyle, 57, took up the Athens post in November 2025. Trump called her a "close friend and ally" when he announced the pick. She is the former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr. and a former Fox News host who chaired finance for Trump's 2020 campaign.

What comes next

Inspector general reviews take time and are not required to be made public along the way. The OIG's silence means the probe's scope cannot be checked.

Politically, Democrats have signaled that winning control of either chamber in November would give them hearings and subpoenas to pursue the questions. The authenticity of the messages is the first open question. Binnall has not said which ones his client disputes.