Kimberly Guilfoyle tried to blame her money-requesting texts on AI: report

The former Fox News star also asked US officials whether they could scrub a negative story about her from the internet
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.
As the negative headlines piled up, Kimberly Guilfoyle switched into damage control mode in a doomed attempt to save her job as U.S. ambassador to Greece.
Ultimately, her multi-pronged effort failed. Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and ex-fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., was ousted from her post Tuesday, marking a stunning fall from grace for a woman who nearly married into the first family.
“She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well,” White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia told reporters after announcing that the president had asked Guilfoyle to resign.
Prior to her dismissal, Guilfoyle, 57, had been concerned about her job for weeks, the Journal reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. It began when the outlet reported late last month that the U.S. ambassador had been promoting a Greek construction firm, where one of her advisers served as a lobbyist.
After the story was published, Guilfoyle started calling influential Trump supporters and officials, asking them to back her up.
Afterward, Guilfoyle, the ex-wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, contacted the White House. Defending herself, she claimed that the text messages were not legitimate, but that they had been generated by artificial intelligence.
Over the weekend, the newspaper published a third report about Guilfoyle that raised eyebrows.
The story alleged that — shortly after her Senate confirmation — the former Fox News host had “boasted about her close ties to two Greek tycoons and said they were bankrolling her high-rolling trips around the world.”
She also attempted to squash a Daily Mail article, which indicated she never paid a $1,769 bill for dinner and Champagne. Earlier this month, she asked State Department officials if the article could be scrubbed from the internet.
Meanwhile, Trump officials had been discussing axing Guilfoyle since early October.
Dive deeper
- The former Fox News star also asked US officials whether they could scrub a negative story about her from the internet
- Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.
- As the negative headlines piled up, Kimberly Guilfoyle switched into damage control mode in a doomed attempt to save her job as U.S. ambassador to Greece.
- Ultimately, her multi-pronged effort failed. Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and ex-fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., was ousted from her post Tuesday, marking a stunning fall from grace for a woman who nearly married into the first family.
- “She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well,” White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia told reporters after announcing that the president had asked Guilfoyle to resign.