Vice President JD Vance addressed concerns about corruption inside the White House — just days after U.S. ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned amid allegations that she pressured a MAGA donor to pay her six-figure credit card bill in exchange for influence in the Trump administration.
During a tough CBS News town hall Saturday night, Vance addressed corruption allegations and criticism that President Donald Trump and his family have profited from the office during his second term.
CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil noted during the event that corruption is high on the list of voter concerns — ranking even above gas prices. Dokoupil said that a recent poll “found that even half of Republicans believe Donald Trump’s personal business interests are affecting his decisions as president.”
“Have you seen anything inside the White House, when it comes to corruption, that makes you squeamish?” Dokoupil asked the VP.
“You’re asking, has Donald Trump’s decision-making been influenced by his business interests -” Vance began to ask before Dokoupil interjected.
“No, I’m asking if you’ve seen anything from anybody inside the White House,” Dokoupil said.
“I’ve never seen anything like that from the president,” Vance said, claiming that he has personally investigated corruption inside the administration.
“No, Tony, I just don’t. I think that there’s a lot of allegation out there and there’s a lot of stuff where, frankly, I’ve read these articles, and I’ve read the superficial summary, and I say, oh, that doesn’t sound right,” Vance said.
“And then I go and do the investigation myself, and I say, wait a second, what they’re saying the President did or what they’re saying the president’s son did, he actually didn’t do,” he added.
Vance then accused Dokoupil of saying that Trump is at least sanctioning such behavior, to which Dokoupil replied, “The voters are saying that.”
“Donald Trump hates when people make money off him. He hates the idea that somebody would come in and say, I’m gonna give you a meeting with the president and I’m going to get rich because I gave you access to the president. The president would never tolerate that behavior, Tony,” Vance said.
His comments come days after a bombshell report claimed that Guilfoyle asked MAGA donor Eric Deters, a Kentucky attorney and former congressional candidate, to pay her $100,000 American Express bill in exchange for influence in the Trump administration, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host who was once engaged to Donald Trump Jr., resigned from her ambassadorship on Tuesday, following encouragement for her to step down from the White House.
Her lawyers have disputed the authenticity of text messages Deters shared with media outlets. Deters also told CNN that he did not give Guilfoyle the money.
Deters filed a defamation lawsuit against Guilfoyle and her legal team on Thursday in Kentucky state court.
“Kim Guilfoyle and her lawyers claimed my allegations were false and they would defend the allegations vigorously,” Deters wrote in a statement with the lawsuit. “Now they can in Kentucky.”
Guilfoyle has not commented on the lawsuit or her resignation beyond a social media post after it was announced she was asked to resign.
Upon her resignation Tuesday, Guilfoyle thanked Trump for the opportunity to serve and vowed to “vigorously” fight the “false” allegations against her.
“Serving as the United States Ambassador to Greece has been the honor of a lifetime,” she wrote on social media. “From my first day as Ambassador, I have worked tirelessly to advance President Trump’s America First agenda, strengthen our strategic alliance with Greece, and deliver meaningful victories for the American people.”
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