Kimberly Guilfoyle, President Trump's ambassador to Greece, has struck back at a Trump donor who accused her of seeking $100,000 in exchange for access to the administration, with her lawyers saying he is the one who owes her about $150,000 for work she did before joining the government.
The statement is the first detailed public response from Ms. Guilfoyle since The Wall Street Journal reported last week that she asked the donor, Eric Deters, to wire $100,000 straight to her American Express account days before her July 2025 Senate confirmation hearing.
In text messages the Journal reviewed, she wrote that the transfer "won't show up anywhere." Mr. Deters says he never paid, and calls the request a "quid pro quo."
Her lawyers, Jesse Binnall and David Schwartz, say the money was an overdue bill.
They said Mr. Deters signed a contract in May 2024 to pay $200,000 for Ms. Guilfoyle to keynote his "Freedom Fest" events in Kentucky, where he was a candidate, then paid only in part, blaming business partners and calling himself a "millionaire with a cash-flow problem" in his own messages.
They said a third party has sworn to a separate consulting agreement.
They also said he offered her $1 million to promote a private lawsuit to administration officials, and that she refused.
They provided no documents. Mr. Deters denies owing her money.
Ms. Guilfoyle's lawyers earlier disputed the authenticity of the texts without saying which were in question. CBS News reported that White House officials were told the messages were genuine.
The lawyers also answered questions about her use of private jets, saying she followed State Department guidance and complied with federal ethics, gift and disclosure rules.
The Journal has reported that the State Department's inspector general is examining her conduct, and other outlets have reported that Mr. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are weighing her future.
Neither has confirmed that.
The controversy lands at an awkward moment for Washington's Greek diplomacy. Mr. Rubio was in Athens last week for the Strategic Dialogue, and Ms. Guilfoyle has made energy cooperation a priority of her tenure.
Her lawyers said they are reviewing legal options to collect the debt.