Rubio Stresses Ethics Rules in Memo After Guilfoyle Firing

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday sent a message to all State Department employees reminding them to act in accordance with ethics rules, a day after President Donald Trump ousted US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle.

“As part of demonstrating our personal and professional integrity, I expect employees to avoid conflicts of interest in our work, to act impartially, and to avoid using our public offices for private gain,” Rubio said in correspondence seen by Bloomberg News.

Trump pushed out Guilfoyle, whom he appointed as envoy to Greece last year, following a series of reports in the Wall Street Journal alleging she solicited or accepted money, travel and other benefits from people in exchange for her access to US officials and her diplomatic position.

Guilfoyle, who was engaged for a time to the president’s son Donald Trump Jr., denied the allegations and promised in a lengthy post on X to “vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity.”

Rubio’s message did not say why he was sending it, and it didn’t mention Guilfoyle by name. The State Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more: Guilfoyle Ousted as US Ambassador to Greece Amid Conduct Probe

The scandal broke last week as Rubio was visiting Athens.

Rubio publicly defended Guilfoyle when the first Journal story broke while he was in Greece, saying she had been “a strong ambassador.” But after additional allegations were published before he left Athens on Oct. 8, Rubio refused to address the reports and criticized journalists as Guilfoyle stood nearby.

“Our job is not to respond every time someone decides to give the media something without any advance warning, without having any chance to look at it and see what’s in there,” Rubio told reporters.

In Rubio’s Wednesday message to State Department employees, he highlighted the importance of observing the Hatch Act, a rarely enforced law that prohibits political activity by government employees “and related regulations regarding when and how we can engage in political activity, none of which is permitted in the federal workplace.”

“We each have a personal obligation to comply with our government ethics rules,” Rubio said.