Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) on Tuesday commended President Trump for his handling of the financial fraud allegations that led to the resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle as U.S. ambassador to Greece.
In a post on X, Curtis said he appreciated the administration’s seriousness in addressing the allegations. “Public service is a public trust, and political connections should never put anyone above accountability,” he wrote, adding that Trump’s “willingness to act” is “the kind of leadership Americans are yearning for.”
Guilfoyle’s resignation was announced Tuesday morning by new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia. The move followed a wave of misconduct claims that had engulfed her tenure in Athens.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Guilfoyle asked Trump donor Eric Deters to cover a $100,000 credit card bill and instructed him to wire the funds to avoid creating a paper trail. The Journal also detailed new allegations that wealthy Greek businessmen helped finance Guilfoyle’s luxury travel as she used her diplomatic post to promote their commercial interests.
In her resignation statement, also posted to X, Guilfoyle denied the allegations as “false” and vowed to clear her name. “I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service,” she wrote, pledging to “vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity.”
Trump later told reporters outside the White House that the negative coverage surrounding Guilfoyle forced the decision. “She went to Greece. She was doing a good job, but we didn’t like what we were reading,” he said.
Curtis, who has broken with the administration on other issues, also recently criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan. In a social media statement, Curtis invoked Seneca’s warning that “bloody spectacles corrupted the people who watched them,” adding that “a civilization erodes when it cultivates an appetite for executions as a form of entertainment.” He urged Hegseth to reconsider, arguing that broadcasting a death diminishes the nation and is not an effective deterrent.
The episode underscores the political sensitivity surrounding Guilfoyle’s exit, with Republicans like Curtis framing it as a test of accountability while the White House attributes it to damaging press. The donor at the center of the wire transfer request, Eric Deters, has vowed to sue Guilfoyle over the $100,000 payment, signaling that the legal fight is far from over.
Guilfoyle’s departure marks the latest shake-up in Trump’s diplomatic corps and raises questions about vetting and ethics in an administration that has faced repeated scrutiny over the conduct of its appointees.
