Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) said Sunday that he expects an investigation into Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, after a series of reports alleging ethics violations and improper conduct — comments that came as the Trump administration weighs whether to remove her from her post.
Appearing on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Barrasso was asked whether there might be an inquiry, such as one by the State Department Office of Inspector General, into questions surrounding Guilfoyle's conduct in office. "What we've seen in the reports is very troubling," Barrasso said of the allegations, according to CBS News.
The Wyoming senator's remarks follow a series of three Wall Street Journal reports released in recent weeks. Those reports outline allegations that Guilfoyle tapped a Trump-world ally to pay off $100,000 in credit card debt, and that Greek businessmen have paid for luxurious travel arrangements. The Journal has also reported an alleged threat to a host country official, improper gifts and services, and an offer to use her influence inside the administration in return for payment of the credit card bill. Guilfoyle has not addressed the reports directly. Her lawyer has said she did nothing wrong, and the U.S. embassy in Athens has tacitly expressed support for her, according to the Guardian.
The situation escalated this week. The Guardian reported Thursday that President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considering firing Guilfoyle, citing an official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. That official said Rubio was particularly angry — in part because he had visited Athens just last week, where Guilfoyle attended most if not all of his events and greeted him on arrival with a bear hug as the allegations swirled. The Associated Press, citing a source, reported the same: Trump and Rubio are weighing whether to fire the envoy after mounting reports of improper conduct.
Rubio, for his part, pushed back at journalists pressing him on the allegations. "You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it's the gospel. It's not the gospel. It's not the gospel for me. That's not the way we do things," Rubio said at the foot of his plane as Guilfoyle looked on, per the Guardian.
A second U.S. official, also speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, told the Guardian that the State Department's inspector general is looking into the allegations, which first surfaced in the Journal late last month and have multiplied since. That official could not say whether a formal IG investigation had begun. Inspectors general often conduct informal inquiries into complaints against staffers, and many of those inquiries never become full investigations — which can result in discipline up to and including dismissal.
It is not yet known whether a formal investigation has been opened, or what form any inquiry might take. Barrasso's prediction Sunday was just that — a prediction from a senator, not confirmation from the State Department or the inspector general's office.
For now, the ambassador remains in Athens. Whether she stays there is a decision that rests with the president and the secretary of state, and neither has said publicly what they intend to do.
Our Take
Let's be clear about what this is and what it isn't. This is not the Left's latest manufactured scandal, and it is not a media hit job cooked up to kneecap an administration. This is a Republican Senate majority whip, John Barrasso, saying on national television that the reports are "very troubling" and that an investigation is coming. When your own team is saying that out loud on a Sunday show, the story has legs — and it deserves scrutiny, not spin.
That's the difference between holding your own accountable and the way the establishment protects its favorites. The American people were promised an administration that drains the swamp, not one that hands out plum ambassadorships and looks the other way when the receipts show up in the Wall Street Journal. If the allegations are true — and they are allegations, still unproven — then someone used public office for private gain, and that is exactly the kind of conduct this movement was built to end.
But here's the other side of it, and it matters: the presumption of innocence is not a conservative value we get to switch off when the target is inconvenient. Guilfoyle's lawyer says she did nothing wrong. The embassy in Athens has stood behind her. And Rubio was right to remind reporters that a leaked source isn't a verdict. The inspector general process exists precisely so that accusations get tested against evidence instead of headlines. Let it run. If she's clean, say so in public and clear her name. If she's not, then the administration should act — fast, and without apology.
What we will not accept is the pattern we've watched play out for years: a friendly outlet drops an anonymous, character-driven leak, the legacy media amplifies it for weeks, and the only question anyone asks is how long the target can survive. That playbook was used against this president, his family, and his staff. It should not be used against anyone — and conservatives who spent a decade howling about it shouldn't suddenly discover a taste for it now.
The real test here isn't whether Kimberly Guilfoyle keeps her job. It's whether this administration applies the same standard to its friends that it demands be applied to its enemies. Patriots: watch what Rubio and Trump do next. That will tell you more than any leak ever could.
