CBS News
· collected 2026-10-08 · by Anna Schecter, Kathryn Watson, Jennifer Jacobs
Businessman Eric Deters said he has "no doubt it was pay to play," claiming Kimberly Guilfoyle, now the U.S. ambassador to Greece and ex-fiancee of Donald Trump Jr., asked him to wire $100,000 to pay her American Express bill in exchange for her help with the Trump administration ahead of Guilfoyle's Senate confirmation hearing.
asserted
Guilfoyle → say → hearing
In an interview with CBS News, Deters said Guilfoyle should "lose her ambassadorship" over her alleged behavior, after texts between the two of them from last July were published in the Wall Street Journal.
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texts → say → Journal
," Deters told CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang Thursday.
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Deters → tell → Jiang
Deters said he never gave her the money.
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he → say → money
"Unfortunately for Kimberly Guilfoyle, at that time, at that moment in time, I didn't have $100,000 to spare to give to Kimberly Guilfoyle, or I actually would have been a dumbass enough to do it."
asserted
I → have → it
Deters said he made up an "excuse" that his wife wouldn't go along with it.
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wife → say → it
White House officials were told that the text messages between Guilfoyle and Deters were authentic, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.
asserted
sources → tell → News
Some Trump aides expressed displeasure about Guilfoyle's actions, they said.
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they → express → actions
The Wall Street Journal first reported this week that Guilfoyle allegedly reached out to Deters days before her congressional hearing to become a U.S. ambassador, saying she needed $100,000 to pay off her American Express credit debt in a way that wouldn't be publicly visible.
uncertain
that → report → way
"It won't show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express that's all that will show," Guilfoyle wrote to Deters on July 3, according to screen shots of texts provided to CBS News.
uncertain
Guilfoyle → show → News
"I have been officially announced honey please I need you to get this done for me today," she wrote, punctuating the message with a prayer-hands emoji.
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she → announce → emoji
Her confirmation hearing took place on July 9.
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hearing → take → July
She sent him "American Express Instructions" in a PDF document.
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She → send → document
CBS News has reviewed the texts, which were provided by Deters as part of a 292-page file that included dozens of pages of grievances against Trump world figures, communications with Guilfoyle and others, photos of Deters with Guilfoyle, President Trump, Eric Trump and Trump Jr., and a lengthy excerpt of a book Deters has written.
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Deters → review → book
CBS News has reached out to spokespeople for the State Department and the White House, as well as Guilfoyle.
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News → reach → Department
Deters, a longtime Trump supporter, is a retired lawyer and businessman from Kentucky who was sanctioned by the Ohio Supreme Court in 2021 for engaging in the unauthorized practice of law.
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who → sanction → law
He has also run unsuccessfully for Kentucky governor and for Rep. Thomas Massie's U.S. House seat.
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He → run → seat
For years, Deters has been trying to attract media attention and political support for a push to extradite orthopedic spine surgeon Dr. Abubakar Durrani.
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Deters → try → Durrani
The government believes Durrani fled the country while he was awaiting trial for healthcare fraud charges.
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he → believe → charges
He was accused of billing Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies millions of dollars for unnecessary spinal surgeries that were potentially harmful to patients.
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that → accuse → patients
Today, Deters said he feels slighted that he never received support for his push to have Durrani extradited to the U.S. from influential Trump world figures.
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Durrani → say → figures
"I sent Susie Wiles, Don Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle an email, and I told them, I said, 'You got until 5 o'clock on Monday to help me out with the Durrani victims,'" he said.
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he → send → victims
"They didn't respond.
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They → respond → ?
And I told them, 'If you don't, I'm going to go to the media and try to get the media's help because you're not helping.'
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you → tell → help
So I gave them one last shot, and they ignored me.
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they → give → me
In the text messages reviewed by CBS News, Deters, who said he also represents hundreds of Durrani's former patients, may have believed he could benefit from Durrani's extradition to the U.S.
uncertain
he → review → U.S.
He wrote to Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle's podcast producer, Drew Lynch, and suggested, "If anyone in Don Jr or your world has an interest in listening to a pitch on how lots of money could be made for a little money in this Durrani matter let me know."
uncertain
me → write → matter
Deters, who no longer practices law, once stood to gain financially if he were able to successfully sue Durrani.
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he → practice → Durrani
Just before he took office in 2025 and soon after Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. broke off their engagement, Mr. Trump
he planned to nominate Guilfoyle to be U.S. ambassador to Greece.
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he → take → Greece
But Deters said her influence has waned since her relationship with Trump Jr. ended.
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relationship → say → Jr.
"There was no question that she would do anything for me," Deters said.
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Deters → be → me
Deters claimed Guilfoyle knew there was something wrong about asking for the payment.
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Guilfoyle → claim → payment
"She knew there was something wrong about it because she kept getting mad at me," Deters said.
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Deters → know → me
"I mean, I'm naive, I'm putting stuff in writing, sending it to her.
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I → mean → her
She's getting mad.
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She → get → ?
She wants me to use Signal.
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me → want → Signal
I didn't know what Signal was."
In late June 2025, she texted, "Eric, I really wish you would stop papering these things.
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you → know → things
It's really dangerous and not helpful to you and not helpful to you or me while you could simply just call me on Signal."
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you → call → Signal
Deters had just sent her a memo to complain that she had not delivered on things that he had asked of her, including getting him booked on Tucker Carlson's podcast.
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him → send → podcast
"I generously offered you $1 million dollars when Durrani settles if you got me on Tucker," he wrote.
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he → offer → Tucker
…and 26 more, not listed.
The Aporia
