Sorin Grindeanu, asked about the meeting between him and the U.S. ambassador to Greece: “If the ambassador had told me ‘don’t replace Bolojan,’ I would have done it anyway”

PSD President Sorin Grindeanu told România TV that the dismissal of the Government led by Ilie Bolojan was the result of an internal party decision and has nothing to do with the meeting held in March with Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US ambassador to Greece, at a restaurant in the northern part of the capital.

Grindeanu said that the meeting was arranged through mutual acquaintances, after he was unable to attend an official event at the US Embassy in Romania. The PSD leader maintains that the government in Bucharest was not discussed and that, regardless of any recommendations the ambassador may have made, Bolojan’s replacement would have been decided by the party. He said that this measure should have been taken as early as last autumn. He rejected accusations of American or Russian intervention, asserting that the change was decided by Romanians, through the votes of the PSD and AUR.

The statements come after reports by The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times, according to which Guilfoyle allegedly suggested at an official dinner held in Athens on March 18 that the United States could influence changes of government. Subsequently, the ambassador allegedly met in Bucharest with several PSD representatives.

Guilfoyle was recalled by President Donald Trump amid accusations of ethical violations and an alleged financial scandal. The case is also being examined in the context of revelations about her alleged involvement in the change of Romania’s Government.