Greek-American businessman John Catsimatidis has suggested that Kimberly Guilfoyle’s removal as US ambassador to Greece was politically motivated, pointing out that the decision came just three weeks before November’s midterm elections in the United States.

Speaking to Greece’s public broadcaster ERT, Catsimatidis discussed Guilfoyle’s tenure in Greece, arguing that she had “done a great job”, while clarifying that he did not know whether she had made any mistakes.

However, he linked the timing of her departure to the US election campaign, expressing his personal view that the decision was not independent of the political developments.

The Greek-American businessman also referred to a Wall Street Journal report that published messages allegedly showing Guilfoyle had asked Republican donor Eric Deters for $100,000 to cover a financial obligation to American Express.

Catsimatidis revealed that he had contacted Guilfoyle personally to ask her to explain what had happened.

According to Catsimatidis, she denied the reports, telling him that “it is all lies”.

The businessman also relayed a different account of Guilfoyle’s financial relationship with Deters.

He said the former ambassador had told him that no money had ever been paid to American Express, while claiming that Deters was the one who owed her money from an earlier professional collaboration.

Specifically, according to the account she gave him, Guilfoyle had helped the Republican donor when he was running for governor of Kentucky but had not received her full fee.

The amount she allegedly said she was owed was $150,000.

“She told me the money was never paid to American Express. She also told me that she had been helping this man since he was running for governor of Kentucky and that he owed her $150,000. He had owed her the money from the time she was working with him and he was not paying her, and she kept saying, ‘Pay me, pay me’,” Catsimatidis said.

In his remarks, Catsimatidis challenged the account presented in the Wall Street Journal report, relaying what he said Guilfoyle had told him while maintaining that the timing of her removal was linked to ulterior motives.