Rubio declines to address the Journal report on Guilfoyle
Marco RubioU.S. Secretary of State, speaking to reporters in Greece before leaving the country
Asked in Greece about the Journal report, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his job was not to respond each time someone gave the media material without warning, and said a report based on a source was not the gospel to him.
“Our job is not to respond every time someone decides to give the media something without any advance warning. 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.”
Original text
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
Original text
About this source
CNN transcript of The Lead with Jake Tapper. The Guilfoyle segment includes a clip of Secretary of State Marco Rubio answering questions in Athens, a clip of Vice President JD Vance answering a hypothetical question, and an interview with Eric Deters.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Associated Press report on Secretary of State Marco Rubio's responses in Greece to questions about the Journal report, including his statement that he would not address it, and on Vice President JD Vance's comments the same day.
Before the quotation
Rubio was visiting Greece when the Journal published Deters's allegation. Guilfoyle was at the airport as he prepared to leave on October 8.
After the quotation
According to the Associated Press, Rubio would not say whether he was prepared to open an investigation. NBC News reported the next day that the State Department's inspector general was investigating Guilfoyle and the embassy, and on October 13 the White House asked her to resign.
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. Explicitly stayed out: Rubio says it is not his job to respond every time someone gives the media something without warning, and the Associated Press reported that he said he would not address the report. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization; it loses because his comments about sourced reporting explain his refusal to engage rather than dispute any part of Deters's account.
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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. "Rubio declines to address the Journal report on Guilfoyle". First published: 2026-10-14. Last updated: 2026-10-14. https://disputeindex.com/events/5716-asked-in-greece-about-the-journal-report-secretary