It has been reported that US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considering the option of dismissal following allegations of impropriety against Greek Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle.
According to the Associated Press (AP), a senior US official, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that Trump and Rubio were deeply disturbed by the allegations against Guilfoyle.
The official said that the decision on the ambassador's future could be made this week, after the Columbus Day holiday celebrated on Monday, October 12.
US-based newspaper The Wall Street Journal brought to the agenda various irregularities that Guilfoyle allegedly committed before and during his tenure as ambassador.
The newspaper's reports claimed that Guilfoyle threatened an official in Greece, accepted inappropriate gifts and services, and tried to use his connections in the Trump administration for his personal interests.
One of the most striking allegations was that Guilfoyle asked Eric Deters, one of Trump's donors, to pay his credit card debt of 100 thousand dollars.
It was claimed that Guilfoyle requested the payment in question shortly before his ambassadorship was approved in the Senate, and in return he promised to provide Deters with the opportunity to meet with senior figures of the Trump administration.
RESPONSE TO THE CLAIMS FROM THEIR LAWYERS
Guilfoyle's attorneys, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, denied any wrongdoing by their client in a statement on Sunday.
Lawyers argued that the money sought stemmed from unpaid fees for speeches and public events Guilfoyle held before he was nominated for the ambassadorial post.
The lawyers, who also rejected the accusations regarding travels by private planes, stated that Guilfoyle received the necessary opinions from the US State Department before each trip and acted in accordance with the relevant regulations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio supported Guilfoyle when the allegations first came to the fore and said that the ambassador was carrying out his duty successfully.
However, it was claimed that Rubio's discomfort increased after new allegations emerged.
Rubio, who visited Athens last week, avoided answering journalists' questions about the allegations against Guilfoyle.
Rubio stated that he could not confirm the accuracy of the allegations and said that he would not make an evaluation based on unverified news.
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS IS EXAMINING THE CLAIMS
It was reported that the US State Department's Office of Inspector General was reviewing the allegations against Guilfoyle.
Two sources with knowledge of the process confirmed to NBC News that the investigation also includes the US Embassy in Athens.
In AP's report, it was stated that it is not yet clear whether the investigation has turned into an official disciplinary investigation.
Gregory Meeks, a leading Democrat member of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Jeanne Shaheen of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Robert Garcia of the House Oversight Committee, also called for an investigation into Guilfoyle.
DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITIES IN GREECE ARE ALSO A SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
The Wall Street Journal also claimed that Guilfoyle supported the business interests of a construction and energy company in Greece and allowed one of the company's lobbyists to participate in private diplomatic meetings.
It was also claimed that the ambassador reacted after he was not invited to a Greece-themed event within the scope of the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland.
The British Daily Mail newspaper wrote that there were problems in Guilfoyle's relations with the employees of the US Embassy in Athens.
Guilfoyle, who was previously a Fox News host and a prosecutor in California, is the son of Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr. She was engaged to him for a while.
