Congressional scrutiny of U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle is intensifying following a Wall Street Journal investigation into her activities in Athens, U.S. liquefied-natural-gas deals in Southeastern Europe and the role of Greek-American lobbyist Christos Marafatsos in meetings involving the ambassador.
Dnews.gr was informed Thursday morning that members of Congress had begun taking steps to examine issues raised by the Journal’s reporting on Guilfoyle and Marafatsos.
According to information obtained by Dnews, a preservation-of-records request was also reportedly initiated after the case drew wider attention, with the aim of safeguarding material that could become relevant to a subsequent congressional or other official inquiry.
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If formally confirmed, such a move would mark a significant procedural development. A preservation request is intended to ensure that potentially relevant records - including emails, text messages, communications through messaging apps, meeting calendars, travel records and correspondence with private companies or lobbyists - aren’t deleted or destroyed should they be needed for a later review or investigation.
A preservation request doesn’t, in itself, amount to an allegation of wrongdoing, the filing of charges or a finding that any law or ethics rule has been violated. Rather, it is a procedural step intended to preserve material that could acquire investigative or evidentiary significance if a formal inquiry follows.
Dnews contacted the U.S. Embassy in Athens on Thursday seeking confirmation of the information. A spokesperson responded late that evening, saying that because the matter concerned congressional action, the embassy wasn’t in a position to comment and referred questions to the State Department in Washington.
Before Dnews could seek comment from the State Department, the Wall Street Journal published a follow-up report late Thursday, Athens time, saying that senior Democrats on the Senate and House foreign-affairs committees were pressing the department to formally examine Guilfoyle’s conduct.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio raising concerns about what she described as an “inappropriate use of official position,” according to the Journal.
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, went further. In a separate letter to Rubio, Meeks expressed “deep concern” and said that, if the reported conduct is substantiated, Guilfoyle would be unfit to represent the U.S. abroad and should be removed from her post.
The lawmakers are also seeking records and detailed answers from the State Department about the meetings and contacts at the center of the controversy, according to the Journal.
Their requests include a complete list of meetings attended by Marafatsos, information about Guilfoyle’s financial interests and details concerning reports that the ambassador promoted Greece’s Aktor Group. They are also seeking clarification on whether Marafatsos had official authorization to participate in meetings with representatives of foreign governments and, more broadly, in what capacity he attended those meetings.
The questions are drawing fresh attention to the line between official U.S. diplomacy and the involvement of private-sector representatives at a time when Washington is seeking to expand U.S. energy exports and deepen its strategic role in Southeastern Europe.
The U.S. Embassy in Athens has firmly rejected allegations of ethics violations and maintains that Guilfoyle complies with all applicable State Department rules and guidelines.
