Kimberly Guilfoyle: The backstory behind her selection as the new ambassador to Greece

The US press has made the rounds of the American press with the selection of newly elected US President Donald Trump to nominate Kimberly Guilfoyle as his country’s new Ambassador to Greece.

Guilfoyle, 55, is expected to succeed George Tsounis, boosting the new president’s placement of individuals from his immediate family and professional circle in critical – and mostly European – diplomatic posts.

Already, the US President-elect has placed Charles Kushner, the father-in-law of his daughter Ivanka, as the new Ambassador to France, while he has also granted a senior administrative position to the father-in-law of his second daughter Tiffany, Massad Bulos. The latter is an American businessman of Lebanese descent and was one of Donald Trump’s key partners during his campaign to reach out to Arab Muslim American voters, whose vote is described as extremely critical for states like Michigan.

It should be noted that Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, have played a key role since the days of the first Trump administration, while for most US media, the newly elected US President’s placements so far of individuals in key European diplomatic posts have reinforced the impression that he “will rely on his confidants”, accusing him of using the US administration as a field to satisfy personal needs.

Background

All the more so when the selection of Kimberly Guilfoyle for the U.S. Diplomatic Authority in Athens was accompanied by a barrage of reports that want her to be used as a counterweight to the rumored new relationship of Donald Trump Jr, son of the new US President with Betina Anderson. Especially when, the younger Trump has been engaged since 2020 to Kimberly Guilfoyle, who from the podium at the Republican National Convention last July, said of the new US President that “Donald Trump will never stop fighting for you.” Except that Mrs. Guilfoyle was being watched, in addition to the thousands of delegates in the arena, by both Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson, who was sitting a little behind him according to the New York Times, rekindling rumors of a possible romance.

For his part, the elder Donald Trump made the arrival of Kimberly Guilfoyle in Athens known through a post on his social media, noting that “for many years, Kimberly has been a close friend and ally.” “Her extensive experience and leadership in law, media, and politics, along with her keen intellect make her eminently qualified to represent the United States and safeguard its interests abroad,” the new U.S. President added, concluding that Kimberly is perfectly suited to foster strong bilateral relations with Greece, advancing our interests on issues ranging from defense cooperation to trade and economic innovation.

Besides, Kimberly Guilfoyle was on the campaign staff of the new US President, where she also worked in the field of donations, due to her high popularity as an anchor of the Fox News channel. Although she was a prominent anchor of The Five for at least a decade, her contract ended earlier than expected – if not ingloriously – and amidst allegations.

According to reports cited by The New Yorker, Guilfoyle’s departure from the network in 2018 came after a former assistant’s allegation of widespread sexual harassment, which led to a multi-million dollar out-of-court settlement.

The young woman, who had taken a job at Fox News right out of college, sent the network’s management a 42-page complaint with shocking details of her contact with Gilfoyle. Gilfoyle’s former assistant alleged, among other things, that she was forced to work in the anchor’s New York City apartment while she walked around naked, and that she was shown pictures of genitalia of men she had had relationships with.

The other side

In any case, the new U.S. Ambassador to Greece’s ability to distinguish herself in political settings had begun early and in California, when Kimberly Guilfoyle became interested in working as a young attorney in the San Francisco District Attorney’s office alongside Kamala Harris. The two, in fact, reportedly came into open conflict during their working cohabitation at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and while Assistant District Attorney at the time, Kamala Harris always seemed “skeptical” of the young attorney.

In reference to Harris’s run for the US presidency, “I’ve known her for 25 years and let me tell you something,” Guilfoyle said at a dinner with Republicans recently, saying “do whatever it takes to keep her out of the White House.” And even so, the new U.S. Ambassador to Athens was for much of that time in daily friction with the Democratic camp in California, being married to Gavin Newsome, first mayor of San Francisco and later governor of California.

“Key role in organizing” Jan. 6

Along the way, however, and centered on her move to New York for the needs of her television career, Kimberly Guilfoyle shifted politically, leaning into Trump’s political platform, reaching all the way to Capitol Hill. Specifically, she found herself testifying before the Congressional Committee on the events of January 6, 2021, as she was in the White House that day, according to the committee’s chairman, Congressman Benny Thompson. “Ms. Guilfoyle met with Donald Trump inside the White House, spoke at the rally that took place prior to the January 6 riot, and apparently played a key role in organizing and fundraising for that event,” the committee chairman said.

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