Greece-ing the Wheels? The Claim About Kimberly Guilfoyle

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Asphyxiation, severe beatings, and it describes electric shock. The new chilling allegations in court. And after nearly a year, sailors on the USS Lincoln come home. The equipment and everything is like just the same as us. We are worn out and tired. After disturbing reports, our team was there for their last night on board. From ABC News, this is Start Here. I'm Brad Milkey. For years, President Trump told voters that one reason they should vote for him was his Democratic opponents were all corrupt. He said this about the Clinton family. He said it even more vociferously about the Biden family. Father goes to Germany, Hunter's right there. Hey, give me a couple of million, not a couple of million, a hell of a lot more than a couple of million. That's a shame. I'll tell you what, it's an organized crime family as far as I'm concerned. Indeed, Hunter Biden managed to land jobs and consulting fees from lots of people, including the President of the United States. who would like to be on Joe Biden's good side. His own former business partner said under oath that Hunter Biden sold the illusion of access to the White House, but that it was an illusion. The President himself never actually did any business with these entities. But all the while, President Trump has taken unprecedented steps to keep making money while in office. He became the first president in decades to decline to release his tax returns. He's refused to fully divest from his businesses, raising questions about whether he might make decisions that would enrich him, perhaps at the end of the day, at the expense of the nation. He's insisted that's not the case. He also says his sons have kept him in the dark on business through a blind trust. There's no conflict of interest, but there's also no real way of proving that. The criticism from Democrats has been if you're concerned about the idea of selling access to the Oval Office, well, the Trump administration is becoming more and more brazen. Cut to yesterday. The Wall Street Journal broke a remarkable story that a notable Trump donor had come to Kimberly Guilfoyle, the one time fiance of Donald Trump Jr., asking for help and that in return, according to him, she asked him for $100,000 in cash. Let's start today with ABC's Capitol Hill correspondent Jay O'Brien. Jay, what can you tell us about these claims? So it's interesting, Brad, to understand the context of this, you kind of have to think back to who Kimberly Guilfoyle is. Kimberly Guilfoyle, remember, was once one of the most visible defenders of President Trump. She was engaged for years to the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., if you'll recall. They broke up about two years ago, but then she gets rewarded in a sense with this ambassadorship to Greece in Trump's second term, which is where she is now. She's now the sitting ambassador to Greece. So what emerged this week, Brad, is that that Trump donor you mentioned, Eric Dieters, alleges that Kimberly Guilfoyle, when she was going through the Senate confirmation process to become the next ambassador to Greece, urged him to pay off her $100,000 American Express credit card bill. He says that she told him that she couldn't have that kind of debt if she was going through the confirmation process because it would raise questions and potentially prevent her from being confirmed. He showed the Wall Street Journal quotes a message that he says is from Guilfoyle, in which she says to him, quote, Honey, please, I need you to get this done for me today. There are other messages in which Dieters says they show Guilfoyle sending him wire instructions to wire the money. Money directly to American Express, he says, to cover the credit card bill. All of that to say it prompted serious questions because the crux of what Dieters was alleging here is quid pro quo. He said his understanding of this was that he would pay Kimberly Guilfoyle money and she would then, in exchange, provide access to top Trump administration officials. Now, he said in the journal that nothing ever materialized in terms of him getting any kind of access that he wanted or any kind of outcomes that he wanted. But he said that was his understanding of this relationship. Well, it's not just like the text messages. Dieters has also gone on the record with you. He did. After this story broke in the journal, we called him up and he said, sure, I'll do an on camera, on the record interview about all of this. Kimberly Guilfoyle in July 2025 started acting really desperate to me. I asked him to walk me through exactly what happened. And exactly what he says Guilfoyle asked him for. But she told me that she needed $100,000 to pay off an American Express card. He shared with us reams of messages he says are from Guilfoyle. She was so desperate for me to send that $100,000. I also asked him what he thought the money would be for if he were to pay it. You took it that she was trying to exchange that cash to give you access to the inner circle. Absolutely. It was it was all quid pro quo. Dieter says he never paid the money. He says he didn't have that money at the time. He also talks about a broader relationship with Kimberly Guilfoyle and provided these reams of messages he says that are between them that prove it, which is Dieter's offering, in some instances, money to Kimberly Guilfoyle if she can get him access to top Trump administration officials, or if she can get specific outcomes out of the president's inner circle. In particular, Dieter's was looking for the extradition of this doctor from Ohio who years ago fled to Pakistan. Dieter says he represents victims of that doctor. And he said he's one of this extradition so that this doctor can go back to court in the United States and face these victims. Point is, he said that was one of the outcomes that he wanted that Guilfoyle did not deliver on. Right. And is it true? I mean, that's the question. How have Guilfoyle and or the White House responded to these claims? That's the thing, Brad. So far, we have not heard much, if anything, out of Kimberly Guilfoyle. We have sent multiple requests for comment to Guilfoyle, her attorney, the State Department, the embassy in Athens, and we have gotten nothing back. Now, an official for the U.S. embassy in Greece told The Wall Street Journal, which again broke all of this news. That, quote, the ambassador remains committed to representing the American people with dedication and integrity. They didn't respond specifically to what the journal reported based on this statement that the journal ran in its piece. Also, an attorney for Guilfoyle questioned the authenticity of Dieter's messages to the journal, although he didn't provide any specifics to back up that questioning. He also floated the idea, according to the journal, that these could have been reimbursements for travel expenses and speaking fees. That's something Dieter says. The interesting thing here, Brad, is this Wall Street Journal breaks as Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, is in Greece for an official visit. He greeted Kimberly Guilfoyle on the tarmac days before this article came out with a hug. He was sitting beside her in official events. And the Secretary of State was repeatedly asked by reporters who were traveling with him, what's your reaction to this reporting? I don't even know if it's true or not true. So it's just not going to work that way. And it most certainly is not going to work that way when I'm sitting in another country. And he was also asked, generally, do you think the ambassador is following ethics rules? This is not the forum where we're going to address that. It's as simple as that. Suffice it to say, our embassy here is doing a great job. Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here. The questions you're asking me, we're not addressing those at press conferences in Greece with a foreign minister and in another country. But beyond that, he didn't discuss the reporting and he said he hadn't looked at it fully. The vice president was also asked. He asked about this yesterday and he similarly kind of sidestepped. Obviously, I don't love that, but I, you know, I don't know exactly who you're talking about. I don't know the full details. All of that to say, Brad, we have not heard much out of Guilfoyle or out of the White House about any of this. Really interesting. And again, not just because she was the fiance of Donald Trump Jr. I mean, she is an active member of the Trump government right now. And if people are concerned about the sort of gatekeeping and how much it would potentially cost to pay a gatekeeper, this would be a huge problem. A huge deal, if true. All right. J. O'Brien, thank you. Thank you, Brad. Next up on Start Here, if he thought he was untouchable, well, that was before the U.S. went in and captured him. Nicolas Maduro now faces new charges after the break. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. If you thought about trying therapy with our long-term partner, BetterHelp, insurance options may now be available nationwide with an average copay for eligible members of just $23 per session. That means there's never been a better time to start taking care of yourself. care of your mental health, and remember, is not just for the big life stuff. It can be a place to talk about whatever's on your mind. In fact, sometimes I get stressed out and I'm like, I can't do therapy this week. Those are always the best weeks for me to do therapy. 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When Venezuela's former president, Nicolas Maduro, was captured from his compound in Caracas, arrested and then put behind bars in New York City, you'll remember it was controversial. From South Florida to Madrid, Spain to Bogota, Colombia, a mix of celebration and opposition to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The U.S. had said Maduro was an illegitimate leader who rigged votes in his favor, but still, this is a foreign country extracting another nation's recognized head of state. American prosecutors alleged real crimes, though. Narco-terrorism and importation conspiracy are the two most serious charges. The indictment described alleged cocaine trafficking, claiming that for decades Maduro partnered with the world's most dangerous and violent drug traffickers to make Venezuela a narco hub. His wife was arrested, too. We're talking about maximum of up to life in prison with minimums of 20 and 10 years. Both Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges. Well, yesterday, the U.S. government announced it is filing even more charges. The U.S. government announced it is filing even more charges, including torture of American citizens. ABC's chief investigative correspondent, Aaron Katursky, is on the streets of New York. Actually, he's right outside the courthouse where this all happened. Aaron, what is being claimed in this new indictment? This new indictment adds a charge of conspiring to commit torture of Venezuelans, but also of Americans. And the new indictment identifies three alleged victims, not by name, only victims seven, eight and nine. But federal prosecutors say they were all Americans in Venezuela when they were snatched off the street by Venezuelan security forces and subjected to torture. Dare I ask what that would entail? The new indictment is pretty graphic, Brad. It describes asphyxiation. It describes severe beatings and it describes electric shock, including to one victim's arms, legs and genitals. The indictment charges. It describes the purposeful injection of a substance that gave one of the victims seizures. Sometimes the victims were accused falsely of plotting to assassinate Nicolas Maduro. One victim was told the only reason he was kept alive is because he might be useful in a prisoner exchange. This is the evidence. This is the epitome of corruption. We will stop at nothing to vindicate the victims of violent crime. We heard from Maduro's lawyer, Barry Pollack, who said the former president denies the new torture charge. And neither Maduro nor his wife formally entered a plea. But we can expect a not guilty plea will be forthcoming. What does this tell us more broadly about how the Maduro regime was running things? Because also, this is not the only time that we've heard about torture. I think even like oil executives in the country at one point were suddenly arrested for supposed crimes against Venezuelans. Yeah, there was a group of Citgo executives at one point that were taken into custody, including Americans. The indictment makes mention of that, Brad. And it says broadly that as Maduro's days were increasingly numbered, there was, as the prosecutors describe it, something of a paranoia and a fear that there were threats from within and from without. And Maduro was even quoted as saying that the Oval Office was plotting his demise. And that's when some of these Americans were allegedly taken. And one was, as the indictment described, taken to a concrete house and from there to a hospital and tortured the whole time. Well, Aaron, I'm also trying to figure out because the suspicion from some more skeptical people early on was this is not just Trump saying, like, Maduro's a bad guy. He's got to go. It also would free up Venezuela's oil supply. And in fact, that's exactly what we've seen is there's a more sort of pliant government now led by Delcy Rodriguez. But she was also part of the Maduro government, right? So I mean, does this get into other people who might have been complicit in any of these torture schemes? Or is this very limited to Maduro and his wife? We tried to ask the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, after he finished giving some remarks about the new indictment, and he would not answer the question. But Brad, you're on to something here, because, this all went down over a period of time when Delcy Rodriguez was in the Maduro government. Was it limited to just Maduro and his wife as the alleged architect of this regime that included torture and human rights abuses? Or are there other officials? And so far, Maduro and his wife are the only ones charged. All right, Aaron Katursky outside court right now. Thank you. Thank you, Brad. San Diego Bay is big. It's really big. But yesterday, a ship finally came home to port that can dwarf every other vessel in sight. The USS Lincoln, the aircraft carrier that just logged the most continuous days at sea of any deployment in American history, had returned. Just to give you a sense of how many service members are in a carrier group and how long these ones were gone, the Navy says on board the ship were 64 different fathers, waiting to see their babies for the very first time. But for all those life affirming scenes on shore, there are a lot of dark details emerging from this ship as well. The stress of working in a war zone, difficult conditions on board, even several suicide attempts. So what are these sailors saying as they come home? Well, ABC's Trevor Ault was actually on board as the ship approached. He even spent the night on board. He's in San Diego now. Trevor, this was such a historic moment for this ship, for these sailors. I mean, what was it like on deck as they came home? I mean, in a word, Brad, it was relief. These sailors have sped so far away from home and so long and repeatedly had the date that they were supposed to get back pushed back and pushed back again. And so to finally see them relax a little bit, it was honestly a fascinating juxtaposition for us boarding the USS Abraham Lincoln one day before they ended this deployment, knowing all that we had heard about those reports about deteriorating conditions and low morale. But we're seeing the final night in which they are all about to get off of this aircraft carrier. So everyone was celebrating. There was a 5K that they were running on the flight deck. They were blasting music and there were people doing the cha-cha slide. And so that's what I essentially walked into when I got to the Abraham Lincoln. Now there's an argument to be made that that shows that morale was great, but it's also an argument to be made that they couldn't wait to get off the ship. And that was something that even the high ranking officials did not try to destroy. But that was something that even the high ranking officials did not try to destroy. I think that the crew is just very excited to know that they're going to finally get to see family and friends who have been wanting to talk to you for a really long time. Yeah, been a long time coming. Yeah. Now they said that morale wasn't as bad as it was reported. They're not disputing any individual story that, of course, there were a lot of difficult times. You're talking about being in a combat zone, working very strenuous hours, doing very stressful jobs. But they also acknowledged, yeah, we also want to get off of the ship. This is an incredibly long deployment in the best of conditions. So as far as how bad it really got, especially during those months following Operation Epic Fury, as this turned into a combat mission against Iran, that is in dispute. Did you ever doubt that you were going to make it through? I did a few times, but I always have people that boost my morale and always help me out. I think it depends on which sailor you talk to. But I can tell you personally, a lot of the sailors, every single one of them that I talked to, said this was a really difficult job. Many said it was the hardest thing that they had ever done. How are you going to remember this deployment? I would say it was something. I would just say it was something. I didn't expect this to be a whole level one deployment. It was meant to be six months. Whether or not that's because war is hell or because the ship was deteriorating, it depends on who you ask. But that's why I think it's helpful that you actually got to spend the night on board. So you have kind of fresh eyes. I mean, what is it for any of us who have not served, especially on an aircraft carrier, what's it like and what kind of stresses could you imagine then sort of taking effect? Because we did hear from some family members that the sailors they knew were very, very down. Yes, the aircraft is safe. simultaneously huge. And yet we are walking through these narrow hallways with low ceilings and every 10 feet you go, sorry, I'll let you pass. Sorry, I'll let you pass. There are thousands of people on this aircraft carrier. And so yes, you do have a lot of space for a ship, but these people are on top of each other. And then what I think was the complicating factor is the hours were incredibly strange and strenuous. Now for us, that meant getting up for good morning America at two in the morning Pacific time after we had stayed up late talking to the commanding officer. That's nothing compared to what they were doing. Abraham Lincoln sustained flight operations for 116 hours straight. And then 60 hours of that was strike operations in support of epic fairy missions. For almost five nonstop days, plane coming in, plane coming out, plane coming out. I was here from the start to the end. At least I know I launched every bird of this deck at least 2000, 3000, I don't know. Thousands of flights. And then given the fact that they had moved to the Middle East, they were never planning on going there. It did mean that they had to go longer than they were ever planning on getting supplies delivered. It meant that they did have to start offering a little bit less food than they'd been offering before. Now, from what I'm hearing, they're still always getting four meals a day every single time. But they went from, you know, multiple protein options to maybe just one, things like that. Operation Someday. Someday we knew we was coming back home. Someday we knew we was going to see our family. Someday we knew that it will all be over. Now, you mentioned there have been, according to the Navy, eight attempted suicides across the strike group that's affiliated with this aircraft carrier. So that means both the aircraft carrier and the ships that were all affiliated with it. Eight is a lot. I think statistically, eight is a lot. Like, statistically, it would say that number is about in line with the numbers we would often see with any kind of naval deployment. But that doesn't mean that you can just wave it away as nothing. And that's what the commanding officers told us, too. At any one point, you're going to have individuals experiencing real big highs, real lows, ups and downs. But they also do take seriously the fact that there were some people who really struggled under these conditions. And we didn't even hear that from the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, who, of course, has been such a champion of extending all of this military action and taking very aggressive action against Iran. And President Trump talking about how at one point he was saying, I don't think that they've been out there near long enough as they were already stretched far beyond what a typical deployment would be. And Wednesday, the Secretary of War came to the Abraham Lincoln and said on the flight deck, I realize I'm the only thing standing between you and home. I've also realized I'm the one that and I don't say this lightly, actually. I never say this lightly. But I know I'm the one who signed that orders book twice to extend you also. Right. And Hegseth had said that sort of all the news media had been sort of blowing this up willfully out of proportion. Clearly, he recognized that the challenges that were on board, though, as he spoke to those sailors, what was it like when the sailors got off? Trevor, you're also there to sort of witness those scenes. I mean, it was pretty amazing. And you could tell how overwhelming it was for a lot of these family members. You mentioned just how many first time fathers there were on this ship who had never met their children, about 60 of them. And we saw these mothers holding some incredibly tiny newborn babies, but also babies that don't look like newborns because they were born nine months ago or more. And it's been that long because this was extended and extended. And to get to see those moments when they finally got there and these fathers who got to finally hold their child, you could see them kind of just taking it in in a way that, number one, they're overwhelmed by this newfound parenthood. But also there is this recurring feeling of just it's over. How's it feel in your arms? Oh, great. Like, great. This feels like home. I think the stories were really amplified by a lot of family members that were so stressed with the fact that they didn't know when these sailors were going to come home. And to finally get that answer and see it through, it was a lifted off of all of their shoulders. All right. A great reporting from Trevor Alt there in San Diego as he spent sort of the final anticipated night on this mission with the sailors themselves. Thank you so much. Thank you, Brad. Okay, one more quick break. When we come back, it doesn't take a big police presence to stop speeding. Just ask this tiny police car. One last thing is next. This show is sponsored by Cologuard Plus. Let's start with the fact that's not very fun. Did you know colon cancer is America's number two cancer-related killer? That's why screening for colon cancer is widely recommended for adults ages 45 and up. But despite that, more than 60 million people are not up to date on colorectal cancer screening. That's a problem because the early stages of colorectal cancer often show up with no symptoms. That's why our sponsor is encouraging everyone to mind your behind with Cologuard Plus. It's a prescription-based screening test for adults 45 and older who are at average risk for colorectal cancer. It can detect 95% of colon cancers. And it's designed to be easy to use. The test takes about 15 minutes to use at home with no prep or dietary changes. If the results are positive, the next step is to talk to your doctor to learn more. As part of the new Cologuard Plus Mind Your Behind campaign, the brand has partnered up with MLB stars Albert Pujols and Cal Raleigh to make some funny videos to raise awareness about the importance of screening. To watch those videos and learn more, visit Cologuard.com slash baseball. That's Cologuard, C-O-L-O-G-U-A-R-D.com slash baseball. Tammy regularly hauls stuff to her kids at college. That's why she shops at BJ's Wholesale Club, saving up to 25% off grocery store prices. Beef jerky, microwave meals, laundry pods, even they can't screw up. Have you met my kids? And with BJ's gas, she gets there for less. They call me the road warrior. This is your home, road warrior mom. Home of the save. Join for just $20 at BJ's.com slash mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. Limited time offer, new members only. BJ's, home of the save. Home of the save. And one last thing. Imagine you're driving down the road when suddenly your GPS warns you about a cop car parked up ahead. This happens in lots of places every day. And according to our affiliate WXYZ in Michigan, it's been happening more and more often in the town of South Lyon. The thing is, in this case, the police cruiser causing all these slowdowns is a toy. Oh my God, wait. What happened to the car? Apparently, people have been spotting this tiny model police car parked in various parts of town. It looks real, except for the fact that it's less than a foot tall. What's weird, though, is it is having a very real effect on traffic. I slowed down coming up into the intersection thinking there was a cop. Local motorists say they've noticed people driving slower in areas where the pint-sized patrol car has been parked. Some drivers apparently see the shape and the colors from a ways away and they mistake it for an official vehicle. Your instincts just take over. But the bigger reason is that some have begun posting its whereabouts on traffic apps like Waze. The whole point of Waze is to crowdsource information, whether it's road work or slowdowns or cops. But this makes you wonder, what if a local neighbor just wants you to slow down on their street? Instead of those little turtle-shaped figurines on sidewalks warning motorists to drive like your child lives here, what if you started just posting phantom cop cars? I think it's great. I mean, it helps slow people down coming through here. Local police, for their part, are not worried about this case of mistaken identity. Their department told WXYZ they're happy to see the community having fun with this. Or maybe, just maybe, they're hoping motorists will not always know where their real traffic cops are hanging out. Now that I think about it, you can do all sorts of things to make people think there are cops around. Like any blue light in the vicinity of the road, that'll always get me to slow down. You could have little posters of police cars on them. What if there were just more people with mustaches walking around? I bet we would all be on our best behavior all the time. Start Here is produced by Jen Newman, Anthony Ali, Aaron Ferrer, Emily Schutz, and Vika Aronson. Ariel Chester is our social media producer. Josh Kohan is director of podcast programming. I'm our managing editor. Thanks to John Newman, Tara Gimbel, Eamon McNiff, and Katie Dendos. Special thanks this week to Derek Yanahiro, Jim Ryan, and our intern Indra Dalla Saikhan. I'm Brad Milkey. I'll see you next week. Home of the save. Join for just $20 at bjs.com slash mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. 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