Donor accuses Guilfoyle of seeking $100,000 for administration access

A Trump donor says Kimberly Guilfoyle asked him to pay $100,000 toward her American Express bill in exchange for help reaching administration officials before her Senate confirmation hearing as U.S. ambassador to Greece. Guilfoyle’s lawyer disputes the authenticity of messages the donor says document the request.

“It was quid pro quo,” Eric Deters told CBS News. He told MS Now that Guilfoyle had “ambushed” him with the proposal. Deters said he did not make the payment.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the allegations. In screenshots of messages provided to CBS News, Guilfoyle appeared to tell Deters on July 3, 2025, that a payment wired to American Express would not be publicly visible. “I have been officially announced honey please I need you to get this done for me today,” one message said. Her confirmation hearing took place July 9.

According to The Guardian, messages Deters shared with the Journal included a promise that Guilfoyle would “be your Trump ride or die, forever and ever” if he paid the balance. Jesse Binnall, Guilfoyle’s lawyer, told the Journal that she disputed the messages’ authenticity and was “owed a balance” for travel and speaking at events before her nomination. Deters said he owed her nothing.

CBS News reported that White House officials had been told the messages were authentic, citing people familiar with the matter. It said some Trump aides were displeased by Guilfoyle’s actions.

Deters, a Kentucky businessman and former lawyer, has sought support from people close to President Donald Trump for an effort to extradite orthopedic spine surgeon Dr. Abubakar Durrani. According to CBS News, the government believes Durrani fled while awaiting trial on healthcare fraud charges involving allegedly unnecessary spinal surgeries. Deters said he represents hundreds of Durrani’s former patients.

Deters also sought Guilfoyle’s help getting booked on Tucker Carlson’s podcast, bringing information to then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and arranging a meeting with then-IRS Commissioner Billy Long about a tax issue, CBS News reported. In a memo to Guilfoyle, he wrote that he had offered her $1 million if Durrani’s case settled and she got him on Carlson’s show. Guilfoyle disputed his accusation that she had not contacted officials, sending him a letter she had written to Long about the tax issue.

In another reported message, Guilfoyle urged Deters to stop putting requests in writing and call her on Signal instead. “It’s really dangerous and not helpful to you or me,” she wrote, according to CBS News. Deters told CBS News he had previously paid Guilfoyle $300,000 in appearance fees, but never paid the requested $100,000.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to address the payment allegations when questioned in Greece. “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here,” he said, according to The Guardian. Vice President JD Vance, asked about an official offering access in exchange for debt payments, said, “With that hypothetical, Jen, obviously I don’t love that,” but added that he did not know the details.

Senior Democrats on the House and Senate foreign affairs committees have asked Rubio to examine Guilfoyle’s conduct. Their concerns also include an earlier Wall Street Journal report, described by The Guardian, alleging that Guilfoyle invited Greek lobbyists into official diplomatic meetings and promoted a Greek company’s business interests.