Inside Athens oasis Kimberly Guilfoyle forced to leave — as sources reveal she’s heading back to Florida
New York Post · RC · trust 56/100
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Kimberly Guilfoyle is losing more than a title. She’s losing one of the most coveted addresses in Athens and will likely be heading back to the Sunshine State, a source told The Post.
The former Fox News star and Trump loyalist agreed Tuesday to step down as US ambassador to Greece once the White House asked her to go, which means she’ll have to give up Jefferson House, the government-owned estate that comes with the job.
“We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign,” White House press secretary Katie Zacharia announced at her first briefing.
“She will not be there. I didn’t like what I read,” President Donald Trump told reporters on the South Lawn.
The residence sits on Panagi Kyriakou Street in Kolonaki, the city’s toniest neighborhood, tucked at the base of Lycabettus Hill and an easy stroll from Syntagma Square.
It’s a pricey postcode. Homes in Kolonaki-Lykavittos are the most expensive in Athens, averaging roughly $660 per square foot, and the best properties command close to $1,000 per square foot.
For comparison, a 3-bed, 3-bath Kolonaki townhouse of about 2,000 square feet is currently listed for $2.17 million. Renters pay a premium too.Kolonaki ties Santorini and Thessaloniki’s Old Waterfront for Greece’s highest average rents..
Jefferson House meanwhile is a sprawling, gated diplomatic compound. Washington keeps the specs close to the vest. Details on the home’s history, layout and interiors are scarce for security and privacy reasons.
What is known is the architecture blends stately Greek touches with a breezy Palm Beach vibe, featuring columns and a symmetrical facade that echo the neighborhood’s old-world look. Outside, the grounds include manicured gardens, a pool and a veranda.
Inside, the home splits private family quarters from official space, with formal reception rooms, dining areas and meeting rooms decorated to showcase American culture alongside Greek artistry.
It’s built for entertaining. Then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stopped by in October 2019, and the grounds have hosted several Fourth of July bashes. Guilfoyle’s predecessor, George Tsunis, threw a reception there for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and hosted the Fulbright Commission’s awards ceremony in June 2022.
Guilfoyle put her own stamp on the place. As the first woman to serve as America’s ambassador to Greece, she featured three portraits by Françoise Gilot in the residence’s State Department art collection.
She also wanted a game room of sorts. The Daily Mail reported that she requested a $58,000 basketball court next to the pool and gardens.
And then there were the self-portraits. Oversized images of Guilfoyle hung on the walls, and that in her final days visitors found her looking past them at a soundless TV airing coverage of her growing scandal.
It remains unclear where she is heading following her move out of the Athens residence. Sources, however, told The Post she is expected to return to Florida. The Post has reached out for comment.
A trio of Wall Street Journal investigations did her in. The first, in late September, said she had been talking up a Greek construction firm while working hand in glove with its chief lobbyist. A second surfaced texts showing she asked Trump donor Eric Deters for $100,000 to pay off her AmEx bill before her confirmation hearing. A third detailed private jet trips and five-star European hotel stays paid for by shipping magnate Nikolas Tsakos.
Deters told CBS News she wanted the money wired directly to her American Express account so the balance wouldn’t show up on her financial disclosures.
Guilfoyle fought hard to hang on, working the phones with Trump allies at all hours and telling White House officials the Deters texts were AI-generated. The Journal said it confirmed they were authentic.
In her goodbye post, Guilfoyle said the job “has been the honor of a lifetime” and denied the allegations, pledging to fight to clear her name.
The White House hadn’t floated a replacement as of Tuesday. Until it does, a low-key career diplomat is expected to run the embassy as chargé d’affaires.
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