Jeff Flake says he is floored by the messages attributed to Guilfoyle
Jeff FlakeFormer Republican U.S. senator from Arizona and former U.S. ambassador to Turkey, in an interview on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360
Former senator and ambassador Jeff Flake said on CNN that the messages attributed to Guilfoyle, telling Deters not to leave a paper trail, were not good, and said he did not expect her lawyers' account of collecting fees to go very far.
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.
“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.”
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
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)Before the quotation
John Berman introduced Flake as a former Republican senator who had served as ambassador to Turkey and read messages Guilfoyle allegedly sent Deters, including one saying a wire to American Express would not show up anywhere. Between the passages quoted here, Flake said the Trump administration must have known some of this was going on.
After the quotation
Flake said vetting should have caught such problems because an ambassador short of cash could be a target for blackmail, and said he could not imagine Guilfoyle would last much longer in the post.
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: after hearing messages attributed to Guilfoyle about avoiding a paper trail, Flake says he is "floored" and that "this is just not good", and he doubts her lawyers' explanation. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional; it loses because he attaches no condition to his assessment.
- 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
Guilfoyle's lawyers say Deters owes her about $150,000 for past work
“Eric Deters owes Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle approximately $150,000 for speeches and consulting work she performed for him long before she was nominated to serve as Ambassador. Mr. Deters has gone on national television to recast a contractual dispute as wrongdoing ... That is what Mr. Deters now calls a “quid pro quo”: a delinquent client being asked to pay an overdue bill. ... When Ms. Guilfoyle was preparing to leave private life for public service, she did what any professional does and tried to close out her outstanding receivables. Asking a client to pay for work already done is not corruption. It is the opposite of corruption.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Jeff Flake says he is floored by the messages attributed to Guilfoyle". First published: 2026-10-14. Last updated: 2026-10-14. https://disputeindex.com/events/5719-former-senator-and-ambassador-jeff-flake-said-on