SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
The White House says it has asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign as ambassador to Greece amid mounting reports of misconduct. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports, this comes a week after Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited with her in Athens.
MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE: Kimberly Guilfoyle is a prominent figure in Trump's MAGA movement, a former Fox News commentator once engaged to Donald Trump Jr. Her firing was announced by the new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia.
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KATIE ZACHARIA: We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign.
KELEMEN: President Trump played down his relationship with her, saying she dated his son a long time ago. Speaking near his new helipad, the president says he has not spoken to Guilfoyle.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I didn't speak to her, no, but she will not be there (ph). I didn't like what I read.
KELEMEN: The Wall Street Journal has been publishing numerous allegations about Guilfoyle, accepting improper gifts and offering to use her influence in the Trump administration in return for paying off her credit card bill. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sounded frustrated when reporters asked him about this during his visit last week to Athens.
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MARCO RUBIO: You guys somehow 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.
KELEMEN: The State Department's inspector general's office would not comment on reports of an investigation into Guilfoyle's alleged misconduct. Guilfoyle has rejected all allegations, posting on social media that she will vigorously defend her name, reputation and integrity. Retired Ambassador Eric Rubin, who used to head the State Department's union, says this all looks bad for the United States.
ERIC RUBIN: I think Europeans are snickering. I think there are people in Greece who are snickering, and that's not good for us. We should have somebody who's respected and who carries the weight of the position.
KELEMEN: In the past, about 60% of America's ambassadors were career Foreign Service officers, but that's down to about 5%, as Trump names mostly political ambassadors.
RUBIN: And some of it is just friends, cronies and donors. And again, it's always - we've always had some of those in every administration, but not in these numbers.
KELEMEN: The ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Gregory Meeks, is vowing to press for further investigations into Guilfoyle, telling NPR, quote, "serving as a U.S. ambassador is a position of public trust, not a business opportunity." Michele Kelemen, NPR News, the State Department.
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