Eric Deters accuses Kimberly Guilfoyle of asking him for $100,000 for access to officials in the Trump administration: “It was a quid pro quo”

American businessman Eric Deters claims that Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, allegedly asked him for $100,000 to pay off a debt to American Express, in exchange for help and access to officials in the Trump administration. According to Deters, the request was sent via messages on July 3, 2025, a few days before Guilfoyle’s hearing to confirm her as ambassador.

The messages, initially published by The Wall Street Journal and analyzed by CBS News, show that Guilfoyle allegedly sent Deters instructions for making the payment. The businessman says he did not transfer the money, citing his wife’s opposition. He describes the situation as a quid pro quo and claims that the ambassador should lose her position.

“It was a quid pro quo,” Deters told CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang on Thursday.

“Unfortunately for Kimberly Guilfoyle, at that time, at that moment, I didn’t have $100,000 available to give her; otherwise, I probably would have been enough of an idiot to do it,” he said.

Sources cited by CBS News say that White House officials were informed about the authenticity of the messages, and some of Donald Trump’s advisers allegedly expressed their displeasure. The State Department, the White House, and Guilfoyle were asked to comment.

Deters, a former lawyer and Trump supporter, says he previously made payments of hundreds of thousands of dollars to people and organizations in Trump’s circle. He claims he sought assistance with the extradition of surgeon Abubakar Durrani and access to other officials, but denies having a personal relationship with Guilfoyle.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to comment, while Vice President JD Vance said he did not know all the details of the case.

Guilfoyle was criticized after she allegedly said, at a dinner held in Athens, that the United States can overthrow governments. The statement allegedly referred to Romania and Greece as well, but the embassy and the ambassador’s lawyer disputed the interpretation of the report. The case was also linked to meetings in Bucharest concerning agreements to import American liquefied natural gas.