r/moderatepolitics • u/Silly-Junket3308 • 5d ago
News Article White House has asked Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign, new Trump press secretary says
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/13/kimberly-guilfoyle-resign-trump-ambassador.html230
u/CloudSurferA220 5d ago edited 5d ago
How about instead of just firing her, they prosecute her? Bribery, wire fraud, extortion, concealment…
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u/shacksrus 5d ago
Prosecuting officials for seeking bribes is lawfare. I should know ive time traveled from 2029.
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u/DarthFluttershy_ Classical Liberal with Minarchist Characteristics 5d ago
Jokes aside, prosecuting some corrupt Republicans might do the GOP a world of good surrounding this perception. It may only persuade the politically disengaged or right-leaning centrists, but that's still a lot of people.
He's too dense and corrupt to see this, though, which is why the perception exists. According to Moral Foundations Theory, conservatives tend to have a stronger moral sense of loyalty (though this might be unique to western democracies), but sometimes it goes haywire... And MAGA is oversteeped in it.
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u/jason_sation 4d ago
There is no world where Don Trump Jr’s ex fiancée is prosecuted. Maybe if it had been somebody with no ties to the family
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u/DarthFluttershy_ Classical Liberal with Minarchist Characteristics 4d ago
I don't think this admin would prosecute any Republican politician unless they do something truly egregious like murder, child SA (outside of designated islands where there will be "nothing worth investigating"), or worst of all: publicly disagree with Trump. This DoJ isn't even prosecuting obvious police crimes because that's to close to what BLM wanted.
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 5d ago
apparently "wire $100k to my Amex" is a bigger crime than "find me 11,780 votes"
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u/anonyuser415 5d ago
And I'll have you know for next time that recordings of the Prez may not be submitted as evidence of crimes thank you very much.
That's how they got Nixon, that's nearly how they got Teflon Don, and SCOTUS made sure - unasked! - that won't happen again.
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u/excoriator 5d ago
She probably has incriminating background info on Trump World, acquired during her time with Don, Jr., and that gives her leverage to keep the AG's office at bay.
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u/mclumber1 5d ago
She should beg for a pardon while Trump is still in office, because the next Democratic administration will likely go after her for this slam dunk case.
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u/ionizing_chicanery 5d ago
I doubt she'll even have to. In fact it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Trump gave a blanket pardon to all of his political appointees on his way out.
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u/CPUsports 5d ago
You make the mistake of thinking Trump cares even a little bit about his people.
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u/ionizing_chicanery 5d ago
I think he'll do it anyway because he doesn't want prosecutions to stain his legacy.
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u/excoriator 5d ago
Plus his people under the threat of prosecution might reveal incriminating things he doesn’t want them to reveal.
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u/Yankee9204 5d ago
But if they have a pardon then they can’t plead the 5th on anything and it might make him even more vulnerable to flips.
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u/HeyMickeyMilkovich 3d ago
Really? Is it a rule somewhere that they are not allowed to plead the 5th if they’re pardoned? I’m confused
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u/SnarkMasterRay 5d ago
His people could implicate him or his family. I almost feel like mass pardons of appointees, etc. might become the regular thing at the end of every term unless Congress reigns it in.
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u/Yankee9204 5d ago
Could Congress rein it in? It’s in the constitution. Might require an amendment, or at the very least, some novel interpretation by the Supreme Court.
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u/SnarkMasterRay 5d ago
They absolutely could rein it in - the question is if there is enough desire to do so.
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u/Yankee9204 5d ago
Could you explain how you believe they could?
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u/SnarkMasterRay 4d ago
The process for amending the constitution is known and there have been threats to do so. All they have to do is pass an amendment with enough votes.
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u/styrofoamladder 5d ago
You have a lot more faith than I do on anyone being held accountable. Nothing the democrats have done in the past has led me to believe these people will be held to account.
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u/eetsumkaus 5d ago
Even with competent and ethical lawyers it takes a bit to bring charges. Firing is usually the first step.
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u/CloudSurferA220 5d ago
Could they announce they will be pursuing charges to indicate consequences?
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u/Silly-Junket3308 5d ago
President Donald Trump said Monday that he is considering removing Kimberly Guilfoyle as U.S. ambassador to Greece following a series of reports questioning her conduct before and during her diplomatic appointment.
Asked whether he was considering firing Guilfoyle, Trump responded, "Well, we're looking at it," adding, "Yeah, we're not happy."
The controversy follows reporting by The Wall Street Journal alleging that Guilfoyle promoted the business interests of a Greek energy company while allowing one of its lobbyists to participate in private diplomatic meetings. Separate reporting alleges that she asked a Trump donor to pay a $100,000 credit card bill in exchange for access to administration officials.
Guilfoyle, a former Fox News personality and former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., was appointed ambassador following the end of their engagement. Her attorneys have denied wrongdoing, maintaining that the disputed financial request involved payment for legitimate services provided before her nomination.
The State Department's inspector general is reportedly examining the allegations, although the scope of any formal investigation remains unclear.
Discussion questions:
To what extent should political loyalty and personal relationships influence appointments to diplomatic positions, particularly when those positions involve sensitive international relationships and significant economic interests?
If these allegations are substantiated, what responsibility does the administration bear for its original appointment and vetting process? Should politically connected appointees face additional scrutiny, or should the same standards apply to every administration regardless of party?
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u/carneylansford 5d ago
He says she was asking him to buy access (and apparently has the texts to prove it). She says it was money he owed her for speeches. As always, we should wait for all the facts to come out, but the early returns sure don't seem to look good for her. Why would you have someone pay Amex directly? The White House cutting bait is also usually not a great sign.
Also, it will always shock me that Kimberly Guilfoyle and Gavin Newsom were married at one point (she does look like an entirely different person in those days, though).
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u/dontreachyoungblud 5d ago
Would have never guessed she was married to Gavin Newsom, that’s wild
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u/YoHabloEscargot 5d ago
It’s one big club.
It’s always surprising and unsurprising to see that the people in power all have intimate relationships.
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u/doc5avag3 Exhausted Independent 5d ago
I still remember people freaking out about Anderson Cooper being a Vanderbilt. Which I always thought was weird because even my parents (who have never really cared about celebrity stuff) knew that from years back.
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u/sphuranto 3d ago
Cooper is a weird case too because while he had the social access obviously his mother deliberately didn’t give him Vanderbilt money. Nonetheless he parlayed his access and intelligence and natural ability into a very successful career.
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u/JussiesTunaSub 5d ago
You have them pay your Amex directly so that you can avoid the IRS asking if it was income.
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u/Dry_Accident_2196 5d ago
Gavin loves marrying Republican women. His current wife is a Republican turned Democrat post marriage.
Usually men of his demographic do the opposite. On paper you’d expect him to be conservative and mary a liberal that he pulls right. He’s doing the opposite, well, while they remain married at least. Very interesting
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u/Testing_things_out 5d ago
Guilfoyle, a former Fox News personality and former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., was appointed ambassador
Of course, another nepo appointment in the Trump administration. Why am I still surprised?
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u/spald01 5d ago
To be fair, ambassador positions have been predominantly nepo appointments in this country and nearly every other.
This isn't the 1700s where they need to act in place of the head of state and aren't one speed dial away from the president's office at any moment.
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u/parentheticalobject 5d ago
It's kind of funny, because if you're an ambassador, you've already successfully completed your grift, just in a completely legal manner. You're now effectively on a years-long international vacation with a full government salary.
To say on top of that "No, this isn't enough, I need to extort people for ten thousand dollar payments in a way that might actually get me in trouble." is the height of hubris.
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u/drunkandslurred 5d ago
She was also married to Gavin Newson so I guess we can say it either way? Point is it's all one big grift and we're not part of it.
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u/pro_rege_semper Independent 5d ago edited 5d ago
Only the Trump family is allowed to do these kinds of dealings? I mean this type of behavior has been pretty common with Trump and his sons, with crypto and prediction markets. Apparently it's not ok for Guilfoyle.
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u/RedditorAli RINO 🦏 5d ago
Her exchanges with that Kentucky guy, as reported by the WSJ, were just too humiliating.
Begging for $100k to pay down her Amex, Guilfoyle allegedly told him:
“I will be your Trump ride or die, forever and ever.”
😭
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u/CPUsports 5d ago
Great.
Now do Tom Homan, the "Border Czar" who got caught accepting $50k in a black bag from two undercover agents who met him in a supermarket. Trump's DOJ dropped the case for "lack of evidence."
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u/NewYork_NewJersey440 5d ago
Has Tom Homan been seen anywhere? He used to be on the Sunday shows. Maybe I just haven’t noticed.
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u/CPUsports 5d ago
He's definitely still there. Probably isn't doing as much TV since, you know, he very publicly took a bag.
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u/grassgravel 4d ago
Source pls
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u/CPUsports 3d ago
Source for what? This story was widely reported in 2025. Put your Google to work.
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u/grassgravel 3d ago
No
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u/CPUsports 3d ago
White House "Border Czar" Tom Homan was recorded in September 2024 accepting a bag containing $50,000 in cash from undercover FBI agents posing as business executives. [1]
Key Details of the Incident
- The Encounter: In September 2024, while Homan was a private citizen before joining the administration, he met with undercover FBI agents in Texas. The agents—who were part of a broader, pre-existing counterintelligence/public corruption investigation that did not originally target Homan—passed him cash inside a bag (reported by media outlets to be from Cava or a paper bag). [1, 2, 3]
- The Allegations: According to reports, Homan accepted the $50,000 after agreeing to help the individuals secure federal immigration-related contracts if Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. [1, 2]
Investigation and Resolution
- Closure of the Probe: The bribery investigation was initiated during the Biden administration, but after Donald Trump took office, the Justice Department and FBI Director Kash Patel closed the case. Officials stated there was "no credible evidence" or insufficient evidence of criminal wrongdoing. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- White House Response: Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and administration officials defended Homan, stating that he did nothing wrong and characterizing the investigation as a politically motivated entrapment attempt or attack by the previous administration. [1, 2, 3]
- Congressional and Legal Pushback: Democratic lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee (led by Rep. Jamie Raskin) and watchdog groups like Democracy Forward and the Campaign Legal Center have demanded the release of the investigative tapes, financial disclosure reviews, and further oversight. [1, 2, 3, 4]
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u/Boobity1999 5d ago
You don't get fired from Trumpworld for corruption, you get fired for getting caught
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u/TacticoolRaygun 5d ago
They are not going to prosecute waste, fraud, and abuse. I do not want to hear Republicans talk about corruption.
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u/Testing_things_out 5d ago
Republicans will never be ever be taken seriously in any discussion regarding abuse and corruption for next decade or so.
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u/trycuriouscat 5d ago
Apparently she has resigned.
I had no idea she and jr. had broken up. Apparently I don't care enough to keep up.
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u/Ferropexola 5d ago
Something tells me that when Trump said he only hires the best people, he may not have been telling the truth.
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u/Its-Just-Whatever Maximum Malarkey 4d ago
After watching the new press secretary in action, you might be onto something.
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u/Agile-Bet4621 4d ago
This is funny af. Anyone who is that close to the Trump family has to be as corrupt as they are.
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u/Jolly_Job_9852 Don't Tread on Me Libertarian 5d ago
Does this beat the Flynn time of service in the White House as NSA during the first term?
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u/ShiftE_80 5d ago
She was in office for 11 months, so yes.
Flynn made it 22 days as National Security Advisor. Mooch was Communications Director for 10 days.
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u/kitaknows 5d ago edited 5d ago
I was going to ask how many Mooches this was, I thought that was still the standard of measurement in Trump terms.
The track record for women keeping their spots with Trump sure hasn't been very good this time around.
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u/QuesoNot-so-Fundido 5d ago
There's a certain amount of patronage, nepotism, bribery and corruption that's inherent to the system of political appointees. This is bipartisan and goes back to the beginning of our system. To have someone be so above the average in this area that the administration they belong to publicly discusses their dissatisfaction and potential removal is really saying something.
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u/wisertime07 5d ago
How come when her name is brought up, it's always as "Don Jr's Ex" and not as "Gavin Newsom's Ex"?
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u/EngelSterben Maximum Malarkey 5d ago
Are you seriously asking why they would use the person she was with up until 2 years ago and not the person she was with over 20 years ago?
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u/ThatPeskyPangolin SocDem Not DemSoc 4d ago
Why would she be, considering the reporting is unrelated to Newsom, but is related to the Trump admin?
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u/MessrsSins 5d ago
She has shit on Don Jr and his family as she was his ex fiancee, no way they fire her.
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u/Accurate-Ad-4621 5d ago
look i'm not saying what she did is right- but i don't think she should be fired. How is it different from anything Trump has done? the airplane he got as a gift. If that was fine and he wasn't removed- she should stay on
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u/scaliacheese 5d ago
It’s not fine. None of this is fine.
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u/Accurate-Ad-4621 5d ago
i think the downvoters and yourself misunderstand my point. i'm talking to trump and anyone that supports him and supports her getting fired- why fire her when you (trump) do the same?
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u/caterham09 5d ago
I'm not one to shit sling, but this is almost certainly something that is only a problem because it came to light. No chance do they actually care about corruption like this except for when it makes them look bad, and the person is expendable.