Eric Deters/CNN
Eric Deters is threatening a lawsuit against outgoing ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle.
The former northern Kentucky attorney and Donald Trump donor, whose allegations helped prompt the White House to seek her resignation as ambassador to Greece, says he’s not done with her. He told CNN shortly after the White House announced that the president had asked for her resignation that he welcomed the move and promised to take her to court.
“I think it’s a good move, I did not think she would be able to survive it,” Deters said. “I think she could have survived what was going on in Greece ... But I don’t think she could have survived my allegation.”
Deters has accused Guilfoyle of seeking money from him in exchange for access to administration officials before she was confirmed. Asked why Trump didn’t simply fire her, Deters said the president was “trying to give her a little bit of grace” because of their long relationship, referring to her four-year engagement to Donald Trump Jr.
Guilfoyle’s lawyers deny the allegations, saying the money she sought was payment for consulting and speeches, but Deters called that “a complete lie, and she knows it.”
“I owed her nothing,” he said. He added that he plans to file a defamation lawsuit “this week or next” against Guilfoyle and her lawyers, who he said first called his text messages fake and then labeled him a “known blackmailer.” Deters said The Wall Street Journal verified the texts and that they’re still on his phone.
“I am going to make her pay for what she said about me,” Deters said. “She thought she was playing me. Well, she found out different.”
Deters said he had paid Guilfoyle about $300,000 in total, mostly for three appearances at his Patriots Day Freedom Fest. He also said he promised her $1 million if she helped him win extradition of Dr. Abubakar Atiq Durrani, a surgeon who fled the country after being accused of performing unnecessary spine surgeries on hundreds of patients.
“Guess what she did? Zero. Zilch,” he said.
According to Deters, their dealings were above board until Guilfoyle pressed him to pay a $100,000 American Express bill shortly before her confirmation hearing. “That was unethical as hell,” he said, “and she knew it because she wanted to cover it up.”
The State Department’s inspector general is investigating the allegations, but Deters said that office hasn’t contacted him yet. He said Reps. Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin, both Democrats, have reached out, and he’ll speak with them on Wednesday.
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