Donor Kimberly Guilfoyle begged for money files defamation suit that he says could ‘bring down entire Trump administration’

Eric Deters, a Kentucky attorney and former congressional candidate, has sued Kimberly Guilfoyle and her lawyers for defamation in Kentucky state court. Deters, a donor to the president, says the case could do serious damage to the Trump administration and to a possible JD Vance and Marco Rubio ticket, though he says he still backs the administration's policies, according to The Independent.

The dispute follows a Wall Street Journal story saying Guilfoyle, then ambassador to Greece, pressed Deters to cover a $100,000 American Express balance in return for sway within the administration. The Journal obtained Signal messages from July 3 in which she urged him to wire the funds, telling him the transfer would not be traceable elsewhere. Guilfoyle, once engaged to Donald Trump Jr., stepped down Tuesday after the White House encouraged her to go.

Guilfoyle's lawyers have questioned whether the texts are genuine and, Deters says, called him a blackmailer and pointed to invoices. He told CNN he never owed her anything and never handed over money, and that she asked him to write a letter inventing a debt, which he did. Guilfoyle has promised to fight what she calls false allegations but has not addressed the suit.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →