Deters says Guilfoyle promised to be his "ride or die" in the administration
Eric DetersKentucky businessman, retired lawyer and Trump donor, in an interview on PBS NewsHour
Eric Deters told PBS NewsHour that Kimberly Guilfoyle asked him for $100,000 after he had already paid her $300,000 in fees, and that she promised in return to help him with any request in the Trump administration. He said she wanted the arrangement kept secret and called it a quid pro quo.
Responding to
Kimberly Guilfoyle asked Eric Deters to pay her $100,000 American Express bill in July 2025 in exchange for helping him reach senior Trump administration officials.
“And she promised me that she would be my ride or die in the Trump administration, no request too big, too small, as many requests as I wanted. She would do anything and everything to help me. And she was -- she wanted to cover it up. She wanted to keep it secret. She wanted me to use Signal. She wanted me not to paper it. She got mad at me because I would send e-mails and text messages that she didn't want me to send. The bottom line was, is, it was a definite quid pro quo. That was what she was offering me.”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Eric Deters alleges Kimberly Guilfoyle offered administration access for $100,000; she denies it
Eric Deters, a Kentucky businessman and Trump donor, alleges that Kimberly Guilfoyle asked him in July 2025 to pay her $100,000 American Express bill while offering to help him reach senior Trump administration officials. The Wall Street Journal reported the allegation on October 7, 2026, citing messages Deters provided in which Guilfoyle asked him to wire the money. Deters says he did not pay and calls the exchange a quid pro quo. Guilfoyle's lawyers say Deters owed her about $150,000 for speeches and consulting work done before her nomination and that she was trying to collect it. Guilfoyle, who resigned as U.S. ambassador to Greece on October 13, 2026 at the White House's request, says the allegations are false.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
PBS NewsHour transcript of Amna Nawaz's interview with Eric Deters. He describes the $100,000 request and what he says Guilfoyle offered in return, says he went public because the administration did not help former patients of Abubakar Atiq Durrani, and answers a question about his own disciplinary record as a lawyer.
Before the quotation
Amna Nawaz asked Deters why he was releasing a document of nearly 300 pages of messages and other records. He said he had given administration officials a last chance to help extradite Abubakar Atiq Durrani, a former Ohio spine surgeon who fled to Pakistan, and that he was acting out of revenge for their failure to help Durrani's former patients. Nawaz then asked him to confirm that he saw the $100,000 request as a quid pro quo, and he said that was correct before giving this answer.
After the quotation
Nawaz noted that the Kentucky Bar Association had twice suspended Deters and asked why viewers should believe him. Deters said he disputed that history and described himself as a retired lawyer. Asked about his criticism of Trump family business ventures, he said the request had come from Guilfoyle and that he had done nothing wrong.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Eric Deters's allegation that Kimberly Guilfoyle, shortly before her July 2025 Senate confirmation hearing, asked him to pay her $100,000 American Express bill while offering to help him reach senior Trump administration officials. Condemned: Deters makes the allegation himself, says Guilfoyle wanted the arrangement kept secret and calls it "a definite quid pro quo." The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional; it loses because he attaches no condition or qualification to his account.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Kimberly Guilfoyle
More from this case
Read the full caseGuilfoyle calls the allegations against her false as she leaves her post
“I also want to address the recent allegations against me. These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity. I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional. I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service.”Read statement
Trump says he did not like what he read about Guilfoyle
“She went to Greece. She was doing a good job, but we didn't like what we were reading. ... I didn't speak to her, no. But she will not be there. I didn't like what I read.”Read statement
Jeff Flake says he is floored by the messages attributed to Guilfoyle
“Well. it's not good. ... I just am floored that he'd have those kinds of messages telling somebody to not leave a paper trail when she's leaving a paper trail. So, this is just not good. ... Well, you just heard from the man who was supposed to have sent those invoices. So, yes, or she sent those invoices too, and he's claiming the opposite. So, I don't think that will go very far.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Deters says Guilfoyle promised to be his "ride or die" in the administration
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/5711-eric-deters-told-pbs-newshour-that-kimberly-guilfoyle
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Deters says Guilfoyle promised to be his "ride or die" in the administration". First published: 2026-10-14. Last updated: 2026-10-14. https://disputeindex.com/events/5711-eric-deters-told-pbs-newshour-that-kimberly-guilfoyle