The Republican donor whose alleged text exchanges with former U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle led to her recent resignation from the position is suing her over allegations that she made false statements about him.
In apparent text messages between Trump donor Eric Deters and Guilfoyle published by the Wall Street Journal last week, the then-ambassador seemed to promise Deters she would leverage her political connections to help him with personal tax and legal matters if he paid off her $100,000 American Express credit card bill. The debacle led President Donald Trump to request Guilfoyle’s resignation, leading her to step down from the ambassadorship Tuesday.
The saga took another twist Thursday, when Deters filed a defamation lawsuit against Guilfoyle in Kentucky state court, alleging she lied about him as she sought to defend herself against claims of impropriety. Guilfoyle claimed Deters owed her money and did not fulfill his obligations, alleging she “was owed a balance for traveling to and supporting these patriotic events.” Deters said such claims, along with accusations that he is a “known blackmailer” who provided fake text messages to the media, are false, alleging the incident was a clear case of quid pro quo.
“Kim Guilfoyle and her lawyers claimed my allegations were false and they would defend the allegations vigorously,” Deters wrote in a statement accompanying his lawsuit in Kenton Circuit Court. “Now they can in Kentucky.”
The lawsuit urges the court to charge Guilfoyle and her legal team with one count of defamation, one count of false light invasion of privacy, and one additional count of breach of contract.
In text exchanges obtained by NewsNation, Guilfoyle appeared to plead with Deters not to share any details about their “arrangement” and warned him he could “literally cost me my ambassadorship.”
Deters previewed the lawsuit on Monday.
“They first said that the text messages were fake — defamation,” Deters said during a CNN interview. “Then they said I was a known blackmailer. I’ve never blackmailed anybody in my life.
“Now, they’re claiming that there are invoices when she knows that’s not true,” he said. “In all the text messages, she doesn’t mention anything about me owing money. She knows that is phony.”
Guilfoyle dated Trump’s eldest son for six years. She was engaged to Trump Jr. for four years before the couple broke up in 2024. As the latest controversy swirled, the White House revealed that Trump asked Guilfoyle to resign as ambassador on Tuesday, the same day she announced she would step aside.
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Despite stepping down, Guilfoyle has denied allegations of wrongdoing in the Deters controversy, as well as other allegations of corruption, such as improperly accepting gifts and services and threatening Greek officials.
“I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional,” Guilfoyle said on Tuesday. “I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service.”