State Department Watchdog Probing Kimberly Guilfoyle Amid Alleged $100,000 Demand

The State Department's Office of the Inspector General has opened an investigation into U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle and the embassy she leads, two people familiar with the decision confirmed to NBC News.

The watchdog probe comes as Eric Deters, a legal consultant and longtime Donald Trump supporter and donor, has accused Guilfoyle of asking him to pay her outstanding $100,000 American Express bill in the days before her 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 told NBC News in an interview Thursday. "She said I could ask her for anything and everything in Trump world. There was no request too big."

Deters provided NBC News with a PDF document of texts and Signal messages with Guilfoyle, which were first reported Wednesday by The Wall Street Journal. One of the messages appears to show Guilfoyle instructing him to wire the money directly to American Express because "it won't show up anywhere" that way. Deters said he did not pay her.

An attorney for Guilfoyle did not respond to a request for comment but told the Journal she disputed the authenticity of the messages without providing specifics.

Vice President JD Vance said Friday that "these are accusations" and "we don't try people in the court of public opinion," adding that Deters' claims are "one person's story." The White House had no comment.

Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week requesting more information about allegations that appeared in The Wall Street Journal. On Thursday, Rubio chided a reporter for asking about the accusations while he was with Guilfoyle in Athens.

Reporting by NBC News. Read the original report: State Department watchdog probing Kimberly Guilfoyle amid alleged $100,000 demand.