WSJ: Guilfoyle asked donor Eric Deters to pay her $100,000 Amex bill; lawyer disputes messages
The Wall Street Journal reported that Kimberly Guilfoyle, US ambassador to Greece, pressed Kentucky donor Eric Deters in July 2025 to pay $100,000 of her credit card debt. Her lawyer disputes the messages' authenticity; Deters refused to pay.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday 7 October 2026 that Kimberly Guilfoyle, now US ambassador to Greece and the former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., pressed Kentucky donor Eric Deters to send $100,000 to her American Express account in July 2025. Raw StoryL “Guilfoyle pressed Kentucky donor Eric Deters to send $100,000 to her American Express account in July 2025” Read at Raw Story ↗ Hindustan TimesN “On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal published an explosive report” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Mixed · 2Raw Story, summarising the Journal's account of hundreds of messages, emails and letters, says the request came days before her Senate confirmation hearing; Hindustan Times says it came months before her confirmation, which the Senate granted in September 2025. Raw StoryL “days before her Senate confirmation hearing, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing hundreds of messages, emails, and letters the paper reviewed” Read at Raw Story ↗ Hindustan TimesN “just months before her Senate confirmation” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Mixed · 2On 3 July she texted Deters, "Honey please I need you to get this done for me today," and in a Signal message said "It won't show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express." Raw StoryL “"It won't show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express," she wrote.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Hindustan TimesN “"Honey please I need you to get this done for me today," she texted Deters on July 3.” Read at Hindustan Times ↗
Mixed · 2Deters refused, telling her, "I can't do this without getting a divorce." Raw StoryL “He ultimately refused to pay the Amex bill.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Hindustan TimesN “Deters refused to it” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Mixed · 2Deters, a former congressional and gubernatorial candidate, was seeking her help in reaching the new Trump administration over personal tax and legal issues and had promised her as much as $1 million if she succeeded; according to Raw Story, the issues included a tax dispute and a push to extradite a fugitive Ohio surgeon, and she forwarded him notes she sent to then-IRS Commissioner Billy Long. Raw StoryL “had promised Guilfoyle as much as $1 million if she helped him reach the new Trump administration over a tax dispute and a push to extradite a fugitive Ohio surgeon” Read at Raw Story ↗ Hindustan TimesN “had promised payments of as much as $1 million if she was successful” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Mixed · 2She also urged him to keep the arrangement out of writing, telling him in January 2025, "What a nightmare you'll literally cost me my ambassadorship stop writing." Raw StoryL “"What a nightmare you'll literally cost me my ambassadorship stop writing," she told him in January 2025” Read at Raw Story ↗ Hindustan TimesN “What a nightmare you'll literally cost me my ambassadorship stop writing” Read at Hindustan Times ↗
Mixed · 2In June 2025 Deters sent her a memo saying he had paid her $300,000 over the years without receiving a single favor; Hindustan Times describes this as a one-time $300,000 speaking fee. Raw StoryL “he had paid her $300,000 over the years without getting a single favor” Read at Raw Story ↗ Hindustan TimesN “he paid Kimberly Guilfoyle a one-time $300,000 speaking fee” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Mixed · 2Guilfoyle's attorney, Jesse Binnall, said she disputes the authenticity of the messages but gave no specifics, and said she "was owed a balance for traveling to and supporting these patriotic events"; Deters denied owing her anything. Raw StoryL “Jesse Binnall, Guilfoyle's attorney, said she disputes the authenticity of the messages but offered no specifics.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Hindustan TimesN “claimed that the payments made were for money Deters allegedly owed Guilfoyle” Read at Hindustan Times ↗ Left · 1Tucker Carlson, whose orbit Guilfoyle approached about booking Deters, called the $1 million offer "completely nuts" when told of it, according to the Journal; Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Guilfoyle at a press conference in Athens, saying "Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador." Raw StoryL “"This is completely nuts," he told The Journal.”“"Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador," he said.” Read at Raw Story ↗
Left · 1Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees had asked the State Department last week to review Guilfoyle's conduct after a separate Journal investigation. Raw StoryL “Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees called on the State Department to review Guilfoyle's conduct following a separate Journal investigation.” Read at Raw Story ↗ Centre · 1Hindustan Times adds background on Deters, a criminal lawyer and media personality who lost races for Kentucky governor in 2022 and for the seat held by Rep. Thomas Massie, and who hosts the Patriots Day Freedom Fest, whose 2026 edition was cancelled after only 6 of 100 VIP tickets sold. Hindustan TimesN “He ran unsuccessfully for Kentucky Governor in 2022.”“was canceled after Deters team managed to sell only 6 of the 100 VIP tickets” Read at Hindustan Times ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Leads with Guilfoyle's pleading for the donor to pay her credit card debt, built on quoted messages and the Journal's report.
- Emphasis
- Her requests for secrecy, the quoted texts, Carlson's reaction, and calls by Democrats for a State Department review.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Gives little on Deters' background or on the dispute over the $300,000 being a speaking fee.
- Charged language
- “begged”“quietly pay off”
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Profile-style explainer on Deters, relaying the Journal report as allegations and noting her lawyers' dispute.
- Emphasis
- Who Deters is, the alleged favors sought, and the lawyers' dispute; hedges with 'allegedly' and 'claims'.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Omits Rubio's praise, Carlson's reaction and the Democrats' call for a State Department review.
- Charged language
- “explosive report”
- For example
-
“Kimberly Guilfoyle sought funds from Kentucky MAGA donor in exchange of favors, report claims” — Hindustan Times
“Kimberly Guilfoyle's attorneys, however, have disputed the authenticity of the messages” — Hindustan Times
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- The Wall Street Journal reported on 7 October 2026 that Guilfoyle sought $100,000 from donor Eric Deters toward a credit card bill.
- Deters refused, saying 'I can't do this without getting a divorce.'
- Guilfoyle's lawyers dispute the authenticity of the messages.
- Deters had promised her as much as $1 million for help with his tax and legal issues.
Where accounts differ
-
Timing of the request relative to confirmation
- Left
- Days before her Senate confirmation hearing.
- Centre
- Months before her Senate confirmation.
-
Nature of the $300,000 paid to Guilfoyle
- Left
- Deters said he paid her $300,000 over the years without getting a favor; her lawyer said she was owed a balance for travel and events.
- Centre
- Deters said it was a one-time speaking fee; her lawyers said payments were money owed to her.
Kimberly Guilfoyle person
Through attorney Jesse Binnall, disputes the authenticity of the messages without specifics and says she was owed money for events; Rubio publicly praised her.
“said she disputes the authenticity of the messages but offered no specifics” — Raw Story
“"Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador," he said.” — Raw Story
Eric Deters person
Spoke to the Journal; says he refused to pay the Amex bill, denies owing her anything, and says she delivered no favors for the $300,000 he paid.
“Deters denied owing her anything.” — Raw Story
“Deters alleges that the 57-year-old delivered none of those favors” — Hindustan Times
Wall Street Journal organisation
Source of the report, based on hundreds of messages, emails and letters it reviewed; it also ran a separate earlier investigation of Guilfoyle.
“citing hundreds of messages, emails, and letters the paper reviewed” — Raw Story
Left2 articles
-
Kimberly Guilfoyle begged Trump donor to quietly pay off her AMEX bill: report
Critical Relays the Journal's account with vivid quotes and a pointed verb, with brief space for the lawyer's denial and Rubio's defence.
-
Centre1 article
-
Mixed Treats the story as allegations, hedging throughout, and spends much of the piece on Deters' biography.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 7 Oct 23:04 First Raw StoryL Kimberly Guilfoyle begged Trump donor to quietly pay off her AMEX bill: report
- 8 Oct 00:00 +56m Hindustan TimesN Who is Eric Deters? Kimberly Guilfoyle sought funds from Kentucky MAGA donor in exchange of favors, report claims
- 8 Oct 02:22 +3h 18m Raw StoryL Trump official’s leaked Signal chats astound legal expert: ‘I can’t believe my eyes’
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.