The Kimberly Guilfoyle scandal has already forced one of Donald Trump’s longtime allies out of her ambassadorial post. Now, the Republican donor at the center of the controversy is threatening to unleash something far bigger.
Eric Deters, a wealthy former Trump supporter whose allegations helped bring down Guilfoyle’s diplomatic career, released a video Thursday announcing a defamation lawsuit against the former U.S. ambassador to Greece and her attorneys.
But the lawsuit wasn’t his most explosive announcement.
“This might just bring down the entire Trump administration,” Deters declared.
He went even further, warning that the fallout could threaten the political futures of Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The reason for his extraordinary prediction? A mysterious 16-minute phone recording that Deters claims contains devastating new information about Guilfoyle.
Deters says the conversation involves someone in Greece and promises to make the recording public by Friday, October 16.
“I can assure you, by the end of tomorrow, I am going to play for you a phone recording that is the most explosive, most devastating information about Kimberly Guilfoyle to date,” he said.
The threat comes after The Wall Street Journal reported that Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.’s former fiancée, allegedly asked Deters to pay $100,000 toward her American Express bill while offering access to influential figures in Trump’s administration.
Guilfoyle has denied wrongdoing, and her attorneys have challenged the allegations. She resigned as ambassador earlier this week after the White House asked her to step down.
Deters is now escalating the confrontation through the courts. He says he intends to pursue testimony and documents from people connected to Guilfoyle, potentially including Donald Trump Jr.
He has also suggested that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles could face consequences from whatever comes next.
For now, however, there is a crucial unanswered question: What is actually on the recording?
Deters has not publicly established that the tape contains evidence of misconduct by Trump, Vance, Rubio, Wiles, or anyone else in the administration. His sweeping predictions remain unverified.
And Deters has his own demands. He has been pressing the administration over the extradition of a doctor accused of performing unnecessary surgeries, a dispute that has become intertwined with his increasingly public feud with Guilfoyle.
Still, the political spectacle is remarkable. A donor who once supported Trump is now publicly threatening the administration, promising secret recordings and warning of consequences reaching far beyond the former ambassador.
Guilfoyle has already lost her diplomatic position. Whether Deters actually has evidence capable of producing anything more serious may become clear on Friday.
For the White House, the next question is simple: Will he release the tape — and what, if anything, will it prove?
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