Secretary of State Marco Rubio berated reporters Thursday while avoiding questions about the scandal surrounding U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle. The former Fox News host and former fiancée of Donald Trump Jr. is facing scrutiny over apparent messages and complaints about her conduct.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Guilfoyle exchanged apparent text messages with Trump donor Eric Deters while the Senate was considering her confirmation last year. In those messages, Guilfoyle asked Deters to send her $100,000 to cover the costs of her American Express bill.

“It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express,” Guilfoyle wrote through the Signal chat app. She also wrote, “Honey please I need you to get this done for me today.”

The request came while Guilfoyle was allegedly giving Deters access to figures in the Trump administration. Deters apparently refused because he feared that sending the money would ruin his marriage.

The conservative Daily Mail has also reported that the State Department Inspector General opened an investigation following complaints about Guilfoyle’s conduct as ambassador. That added another layer of official scrutiny to the controversy.

Rubio encountered questions about the revelations as he arrived in Greece, where Guilfoyle serves under his authority as head of the American diplomatic corps. Instead of providing answers, Rubio lashed out at the reporters who raised the matter.

“Guys, I’m not playing this game with you. You guys write a story and then your editors tell you ‘make sure you get a comment from him’ on something we haven’t seen. You guys are not going to be our only source of information in the world, I’m sorry to tell you that,” Rubio said.

He continued his attack on the press rather than addressing the reported messages. “You guys somehow walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you report it, it’s a gospel. It’s not the gospel. It’s not the gospel for me, that’s not the way we do it.”

Rubio’s hostility echoed the Trump administration’s broader response to reporting that it dislikes, including coverage revealing alleged mismanagement or corruption involving Trump and his associates. Trump has spent much of his political career dismissing unfavorable reporting as “fake news” without truly debunking it.

Rubio later offered Guilfoyle a public vote of confidence during another media appearance. He described her as a “strong ambassador,” despite the questions surrounding her conduct and the reported inspector general investigation.

The $100,000 request is not the only controversy involving Guilfoyle. On Monday, New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent Rubio a letter asking him to review allegations involving the ambassador.

Shaheen’s letter concerned claims that Guilfoyle used her position to lobby on behalf of a foreign government. It also raised an allegation that she gave a lobbyist access to official government meetings.

Before the current controversy, Guilfoyle was widely known for hosting Fox News’ “The Five” and for her relationship with Trump’s son. During the 2020 Republican convention, her loud endorsement of Trump went viral as she screamed, “the best is yet to come!”

Guilfoyle departed Fox News amid controversy, and her former assistant later accused her of sexual harassment. The aide received a payment rumored to be near $4 million to avoid a trial.

Fox News has a history of payments connected to sexual harassment issues. Those payments ultimately led to the departures of network founder Roger Ailes and prime time host Bill O’Reilly.

Guilfoyle is among several Fox News personalities frequently watched by Trump and later selected for prominent administration roles. Others named in the source include War Secretary Pete Hegseth and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who have likewise become recurring sources of embarrassment and scandal.