Athens: US ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle out
The scandal-hit US Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, has resigned at Donald Trump's request amid allegations that she suggested in Athens that Washington could topple governments in the region if they refused to buy expensive US liquefied natural gas. Shortly afterwards, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan's government in Romania collapsed.
She didn't stick to Trump's rules
Journalist Irina Olteanu writes on Spotmedia about the dismissal of the US ambassador:
“Kimberly Guilfoyle didn't understand the rules of the game. All she had to do was simply stay out of trouble. But apparently that was too difficult for her. Now she has had to learn the hard way. If you want to make money under this presidency, you have to follow certain rules: you shouldn't draw too much attention to yourself, and you shouldn't make the boss look like a fool. If possible, don't get caught. And above all: don't be a woman whose best years are behind you.”
In league with the local oligarchs
Guilfoyle pretty much had a free hand in Greece, news website TVXS points out:
“The outgoing US ambassador has much in common with the Mitsotakis government: money, greed, a penchant for nepotism and arrogance. It is these weaknesses that led to her downfall. ... Kimberly Guilfoyle came to make money, and initially she succeeded. She forged links with the local oligarchy, flew around in her private jets and entered the lucrative natural gas business as a major shareholder. ... The corrupt locals got the message: the ambassador wants to do business, has Trump's backing and couldn't care less about diplomatic formalities.”
Political risk factor eliminated
Trump needed to avoid another potential scandal ahead of the critical midterm elections, To Vima explains:
“Donald Trump conducts his political career in exactly the same way, consistently aligning his actions with the economic interests of US companies and often operating on the fringes of legality. Nevertheless, he clearly doesn't want his confidants to be caught red-handed. That seems to be exactly what happened in the case of Ms Guilfoyle, and on more than one occasion. Precisely because she is regarded as a member of Trump's inner circle, she had become a source of negative headlines for the the White House occupant.”
The party's over
The website News247 scrutinises Greece's role in this affair:
“Kimberly didn't come to this party uninvited. ... We treated her as if she were Madonna in person, come to Athens to settle here for good. Every one of her appearances was a social event, each acquaintance she made took on political significance. She arrived in a country that seemed to have been waiting for her all along. Ministers swarmed around her like flies around a light. Journalists stood ready to cover her high-society outings, while TV shows discussed the wardrobe put together by her eccentric stylist. For Kimberly, everything was wonderful — like a child allowed to live in Disneyland. But it's all over now.”
No big deal in Bucharest
There are unlikely to be any consequences in terms of resignations in Romania, writes journalist Alex Livadaru on republica.ro:
“Anyone can do anything here. There is no pressure on those implicated to step down from public office and there are no calls for resignations that are loud enough to make it happen. A photograph showing Guilfoyle in a restaurant in [Bucharest's] Herăstrău Park features Romanian politicians and even an adviser to the Romanian president. The scandal has had serious consequences in the US: the US ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, has resigned. But there is no question of anything like that happening here.”