Deters says he owes Guilfoyle nothing and plans to sue for defamation
Eric DetersKentucky businessman, retired lawyer and former Trump donor, in an interview on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360
Responding on CNN to the statement from Guilfoyle's lawyers, Eric Deters said her messages never mentioned money he owed her, said she had asked him to write a letter stating that he owed her money, and said he would sue her and her lawyers for defamation. He called her conduct grifting.
Responding to
Eric Deters owes Kimberly Guilfoyle about $150,000 for speeches and consulting work she performed before her nomination as ambassador, and her request for payment was an effort to collect that debt.
“I think what I've presented, she can't escape from, it's black and white, it's her own words. And I think she's toast as a result of it. It's grifting on the highest level and it's just an awful look for the administration. ... In all the text messages, she doesn't mention anything about me owing money. What she talks about is papering this. So, what she asked me to do was make up that I owed her money and write her a letter, and I did that for her. She knows that is phony, and I'm going to be suing him for defamation.”
Interview
Reporting
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
CNN transcript of Anderson Cooper 360 hosted by John Berman. The Guilfoyle segment includes a clip of President Trump saying the administration was looking at her position, an interview with Eric Deters responding to her lawyers' statement, and an interview with former senator and ambassador Jeff Flake.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
The Wall Street Journal report that first published Eric Deters's allegation, based on hundreds of messages, emails and letters he provided. It quotes messages attributed to Kimberly Guilfoyle, gives Deters's account of their dealings, and includes the response of her lawyer, Jesse Binnall, who said she disputed the authenticity of the messages and was owed a balance for speaking at Deters's events.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
John Berman asked Deters whether Trump would fire Guilfoyle, and Deters said he expected her to be removed because of the material he had released. Berman then read from her lawyers' statement saying she had been trying to collect about $150,000 for speeches and consulting work and asked for his response.
After the quotation
Asked directly whether he owed Guilfoyle any money, Deters said he did not and repeated that he would sue for defamation. The Wall Street Journal reported that in a June 11, 2025 letter Deters wrote that his consulting company owed Guilfoyle $50,000, and that he told the paper she had asked him to draft a letter of that kind.
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 restates the allegation, calls it "grifting on the highest level" and rejects the lawyers' account that Guilfoyle was collecting a debt. The closest competing label is Denied; it loses because his denial concerns the lawyers' claim that he owed her money, while on the allegation itself he repeats and criticizes the conduct he describes.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Kimberly Guilfoyle, Jesse Binnall
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
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The Dispute Index. "Deters says he owes Guilfoyle nothing and plans to sue for defamation". First published: 2026-10-14. Last updated: 2026-10-14. https://disputeindex.com/events/5712-responding-on-cnn-to-the-statement-from-guilfoyle