Guilfoyle says she'll 'vigorously defend' herself against 'false' allegations

WASHINGTON (AP) — Guilfoyle says she'll 'vigorously defend' herself against 'false' allegations.

THIS IS AN APNewsAlert. Check back for updates. AP's earlier story is below.

President Donald Trump's ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, resigned on Tuesday after allegations of improper conduct.

Trump's administration said Tuesday it had asked her to leave her post after she faced severe criticism over allegations she engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens.

The announcement, after days of comments and speculation, came in response to a question to freshly minted White House press secretary Katie Zacharia at her first media briefing Tuesday morning. Zacharia said Guilfoyle “has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.”

Guilfoyle’s requested departure comes after its possibility was previewed to the AP over the weekend and Trump registered his unhappiness on Monday at reports about her alleged conduct.

“Well, we’re looking at it,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if he was considering firing Guilfoyle. “We’re not happy.”

Those comments came a day after the AP, citing a senior U.S. official, reported that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely decide on her future this week.

In a series of stories dating to late last month, The Wall Street Journal has reported questionable conduct by Guilfoyle, including an alleged threat to a host country official, accepting improper gifts and services and offering to use her influence inside the Republican administration in return for the payment of a large credit card bill.

Guilfoyle has not addressed the reports directly. But in a statement released late Sunday, her lawyers denied she had done anything wrong and claimed that the money she was seeking from a Trump donor was payment for services — public appearances and speaking engagements that predate her ambassadorial nomination — that had not been paid.

The lawyers, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, also rejected allegations of impropriety related to Guilfoyle’s travel on private planes, saying that before every such trip she “sought, obtained and followed State Department guidance and followed the Department’s travel regulations."

After defending Guilfoyle following the first report, Rubio has declined to comment publicly on the growing allegations. Last week, Rubio said: “Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.”

But after another report appeared later, Rubio — speaking Thursday before leaving Athens — berated journalists for asking about the allegations. He said that he didn’t know if they were true and that he would not respond if he could not confirm them.

“You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it’s the gospel. It’s not the gospel. It’s not the gospel for me. That’s not the way we do things,” Rubio said at the foot of his plane as Guilfoyle, who was there to see him depart, looked on.

A second U.S. official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said the State Department’s inspector general was looking into the allegations, which first began surfacing in the Journal late last month and have since multiplied.

The second official could not say if a formal IG probe had begun. Inspectors general often conduct informal inquiries into complaints against staffers, and many times those inquiries do not result in a full-on investigation, which can result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

The State Department has declined to comment on a potential IG investigation.

There was no immediate response to Zacharia's statement from the Greek government or Cabinet members.

Ahead of Tuesday’s announcement, Greek opposition parties had called on the Foreign Ministry to summon Guilfoyle to respond to the allegations made against her. “This, most importantly, is an issue of national dignity,” Sia Anagnostopoulou, a former deputy foreign minister, said in parliament Friday. Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis responded that Guilfoyle had been treated “the same way as every other ambassador” and argued that an official summons had not been necessary.

Hours earlier, Guilfoyle had posted photos of her meeting this week with the Spanish ambassador to Athens as well as birthday wishes for Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law, accompanied by Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night,” from the 2023 soundtrack of the movie “Barbie.”

The top two Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees, Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, as well as the ranking member on the House Committee for Oversight and Government Reform, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., have already called for an investigation into Guilfoyle.

Since late September, the Journal has detailed numerous accounts of questionable conduct by Guilfoyle. Its first report said that she had told guests at a reception that the United States could undermine the Greek government if it chose to, promoted the business interests of one particular Greek construction and energy company and allowed its lobbyist into private diplomatic meetings.

While Rubio was in Athens, the Journal reported — citing text messages — that Guilfoyle had asked a Trump donor and supporter to pay a $100,000 credit card bill just before her confirmation hearing, promising him access to administration officials if he did.

The Journal then reported that Guilfoyle had been enraged about not being invited to a Greek-themed event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year and demanded to attend while boasting about luxury travel to France with energy company executives.

Another report, from the British tabloid The Daily Mail, said that Guilfoyle had alienated staff at the U.S. Embassy in Athens and had pushed the bounds of behavior appropriate for the top representative of the U.S. government to Greece.

Guilfoyle is a former Fox News Channel host and California prosecutor who was once married to California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and was engaged to Trump’s son Donald Jr.

AP journalist Derek Gatapoulos in Athens contributed.

FILE - Kimberly Guilfoyle speaks as President Donald Trump listens at a reception celebrating Greek Independence Day in the East Room of the White House, March 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

FILE - Kimberly Guilfoyle speaks during the Republican National Convention, July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - Kimberly Guilfoyle speaks as President Donald Trump listens at a reception celebrating Greek Independence Day in the East Room of the White House, March 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

FILE - Kimberly Guilfoyle speaks as President Donald Trump listens at a reception celebrating Greek Independence Day in the East Room of the White House, March 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle speak during a dedication ceremony at the chancery of the U.S. Embassy, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in Athens, Greece. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)

AUSTELL, Ga. (AP) — A 42-year-old man killed while riding a roller coaster at Six Flags over Georgia was thrown from his seat and struck other patrons before landing below the ride, police said Tuesday.

Visitors at the theme park near Atlanta described watching him being tossed from the coaster train and falling to his death Monday, causing the theme park operator to temporarily close nine similar roller coasters nationwide.

Investigators say they spoke with park visitors and employees who saw what happened.

The man who died was 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, according to Cobb County police. Officials have not released any other information about those who were struck and injured.

The park already was scheduled to be closed Tuesday. One of Goliath’s other trains remained on its track Tuesday, seemingly where it stopped after the incident as it was climbing the ride’s first hill.

Logan Conner said he was on Goliath with his fiancée when he saw the man come out of his seat.

“The man started levitating in the air sideways,” he told NBC. “We made direct eye contact with him.”

Britny Landry had been on the ride earlier Monday and was waiting in line to go again.

“We just look, and I just see somebody fly out,” she told KTVU-TV. She said she wasn't sure at first what she saw. “Maybe somebody had a bag or something.”

Lisa Cupid, Cobb County Board of Commissioners chairwoman, said the man's next of kin have been notified.

“I cannot imagine the horror the patrons and employees witnessed today, and my heart aches for the family who lost a loved one,” Cupid said. “We are all grappling with how something so devastating could happen at a place that has given generations of families such happy memories.”

Six Flags said in a statement that it has temporarily shut down nine similar roller coasters at six of its theme parks in the U.S. and Canada. Those parks were already scheduled for seasonal midweek closures on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The affected rides include a second coaster named Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America in Illinois, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, the coasters Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds in North Carolina and the rides Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada’s Wonderland in Ontario, Canada.

Six Flags Entertainment did not immediately respond Tuesday to emailed questions seeking more information on why those specific rides were shut down and what would be done before they reopen.

Georgia's Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, which oversees ride inspections, is “conducting an in‑depth and comprehensive review,” said Garrison Bennett, a spokesperson.

Goliath, which opened in 2006, reaches a top speed of 70 mph (113 kph) with a height of 200 feet (61 meters), according to the park’s website. The park in suburban Atlanta opened in 1967.

Riders “navigate through razor-sharp turns and soar over colossal hills,” during the more than 3-minute ride, the website says.

The death is at least the seventh at the Georgia park since 1989, including two people who were in restricted areas and struck by roller coasters and two who died in auto accidents, according to the Doan Law Firm, which tallies amusement park accidents and represents victims.

In 2006, a man died after likely having a heart attack on the Goliath coaster, the law firm said.

The latest death comes less than two weeks after Six Flags Magic Mountain in Southern California announced the retirement of its X2 roller coaster following lawsuits alleging riders suffered serious brain injuries. The park settled one wrongful-death lawsuit with the family of a 22-year-old man who died after riding the coaster in 2022.

Last year, a 32-year-old man died from blunt impact injuries after riding a high-speed roller coaster at the Universal Epic Universe theme park in Florida. His death was ruled accidental.

Brumback reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.

Attractions are seen at Six Flags Over Georgia, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Attractions are seen at Six Flags Over Georgia, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Attractions are seen near Interstate-20 at Six Flags Over Georgia, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Attractions are seen at Six Flags Over Georgia, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A roller coaster is shown at Six Flags over Georgia on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026 in Austell, Ga. (AP Photo/Emilie Megnien)

A roller coaster is shown at Six Flags over Georgia on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026 in Austell, Ga. (AP Photo/Emilie Megnien)