Kimberly Guilfoyle’s tenure as the U.S. ambassador to Greece was already controversial, though things took a dramatic turn this week when The Wall Street Journal reported on corruption allegations involving the former Fox News contributor and former fiancée to Donald Trump Jr.
According to the reporting, Guilfoyle effectively engaged in a lucrative influence-peddling operation, at one point sending a boast to a Trump donor in need of assistance, which read in part, “Every secretary of you know defense, transportation, treasury commerce IRS commissioner everyone gets right back to me.”
Congressional Democrats, who were already concerned about her recent efforts in Greece in support of a local lobbyist, wasted little time in seizing on the latest revelations. The Washington Sun reported:
Democratic lawmakers are calling for Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, to be fired after a bombshell report that she sought $100,000 from a Trump donor while offering access to administration officials.
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that Guilfoyle should be removed if the allegations are true.
“Reports coming out regarding Amb. Guilfoyle’s conduct are deeply concerning and suggest potentially corrupt influences on U.S. foreign policy,” Meeks said in a press statement. “If these allegations are accurate, Amb. Guilfoyle is unfit to represent the United States abroad and should be removed from her position.”
Meeks had plenty of company. Some Democrats sent the troubled ambassador a series of questions and demanded answers, while others demanded action from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to whom Guilfoyle reports. Collectively, they treated Guilfoyle’s ouster as effectively unavoidable.
But just as notably, a variety of Democrats suggested that removing the ambassador from Athens would only be a partial step. As the Sun went on to report, Virginia Rep. Don Beyer, himself a former U.S. ambassador, argued that Guilfoyle might very well be subject to prosecution for “accepting large sums of cash in exchange for access or favors.”
A variety of other congressional Democrats also made the case that the underlying allegations deserve to be treated as a criminal matter.
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Some might see the scandal as a distraction with 25 days remaining in the midterm election cycle, but let’s not forget that Democrats were already focusing heavily on corruption allegations surrounding the Republican administration as a key campaign issue, and Guilfoyle’s controversy advances the larger partisan argument.
Guilfoyle’s attorney disputed the authenticity of the messages that served as the basis for the Journal’s reporting, but he did not provide specifics. Meanwhile, Eric Deters, the Republican lawyer and Trump donor who offered Guilfoyle up to $1 million to help with his personal tax and legal issues, told MS NOW he believed his dealings with Guilfoyle “absolutely” constituted a “quid pro quo.”
Just as notably, Deters said he has “no doubt” that Guilfoyle “has done this to more than me.”
If Guilfoyle is looking for GOP allies to rally to her defense, she’s likely noticed that no such champions have emerged. As for the president who nominated her in the first place, Donald Trump has so far not said a word about the burgeoning scandal.
Of course, the president’s usual M.O. is to get rid of troubled officials by nominating them for an ambassadorship. In this case, that obviously won’t work, since Guilfoyle is already an ambassador.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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