United States Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle is reportedly in the hot seat over an ongoing scandal tied to her tenure — and may be thrown under the bus by her boss. Guilfoyle, whose Athens posting was widely described as a consolation prize following her divorce from President Donald Trump's eldest son, faces scrutiny over her ties to an energy firm and over her official spending.

Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos discussed the controversy with The Bulwark reporter Michael Weiss on Tuesday.

"My birthplace, the ancestor of democracy: Greece," Polymeropoulos said. "We touched on it two shows ago and got a huge reception, so we have to go back and read some of those comments. But this is about that ongoing potential corruption scandal with the U.S. ambassador in Greece, Kim Guilfoyle, and her ties to this shady energy firm. It got a lot of play."

He added, after mentioning that Guilfoyle had been visited by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that her geopolitical situation is unusual within the Trump administration.

"But it's really interesting, because there also is this tendency in many elements of Greek society, the press and the government, to downplay this, because U.S.-Greek relations are actually quite good," Polymeropoulos said. "So what's going to be interesting to see is how much more traction this gets, with the notion that both you and I know there are numerous journalistic outlets that are following stories of the ambassador's kind of nightlife and other proclivities."

Weiss observed that it remains unknown whether Rubio's visit was meant to support the ambassador or to "read her the riot act."

"Remember, I think we discussed this on the last episode: one of the buried ledes here is that she's not in good odor within the Trump," Weiss said. "The president doesn't like her because he thinks she corrupted his son. Obviously, the son dumped her, and this was sort of her 'please go away' exile, going to Athens."

He added, "And the Trumpies don't care about side deals and corruption. Obviously, that's a feature, not a bug, as they say in the IT world. However, if she's embarrassing herself and calling attention to a country where, as you say, we now have very good relations (perhaps because of her indulgences), I don't know, I could see a reason why they might shunt her off into the wilderness even further."

Polymeropoulos replied, "But for the betterment of U.S.-Greek relations, I think sweeping this under the carpet is not a great idea." His warning points to the broader stakes: the allegations now touch not just one official's conduct, but a U.S. relationship with a NATO ally that, as he notes, is currently in a strong place.

Guilfoyle's most recent scandal involves her close relationship with Christos Marafatsos, a 39-year-old top lobbyist for Aktor, a large Greek construction company whose chief executive has flown Guilfoyle on his private jet. The combination — personal ties to a host-country lobbyist, travel at a corporate executive's discretion, and official spending — spans the classic categories of diplomatic ethics scrutiny: gifts, access, and the use of public money. She has also faced controversy for lavish spending during her time as ambassador, all of it covered by taxpayer funds, including renovations to her Athens residence, among them a basketball court and a photographer, at an estimated combined cost of a little less than $90,000.

Guilfoyle previously departed Trump's 2020 election campaign amid allegations of "irresponsible" spending and overall mismanagement, and she abruptly left Fox News after being accused of sexual harassment. With that record as backdrop — and with Greek institutions inclined, per Polymeropoulos, to downplay the affair — the key markers to watch are whether the reporting he describes gains traction in Greek media and politics, and how the State Department chooses to frame Rubio's visit.