Kimberly Guilfoyle’s Close Ties to ‘Mystery Man’ Lobbyist Reportedly Baffle Euro Officials
(Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images)
U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle has turned herself into a “MAGA icon” while jetting around Europe, working to get European countries to become less dependent on Russian energy — according to a Sunday report from the Wall Street Journal.
But one aspect of her ambassadorship has stumped European leaders: the “mystery man” who is routinely by her side.
The Journal reported the mystery man is, 39-year-old Christos Marafatsos, an American lobbyist for Aktor Group, a Greek construction company which has moved into the natural gas business.
Guilfoyle “Has puzzled government officials across the region with her persistent promotion of [Aktor Group] —and her extensive efforts to involve Marafatsos, a neophyte in both diplomacy and energy,” according to the report.
“These days, the Maryland-raised Marafatsos is frequently seen at Guilfoyle’s side, acting as her unofficial gatekeeper and joining her for meetings at her ambassadorial residence and with government officials in countries around the region—a highly unusual move for a private citizen,” the report added.
Marafatsos has flanked Guilfoyle at meetings with several euro leaders, including during a meeting with Bulgarian government officials. But he “rarely speaks” unless the ambassador asks him to.
Still, business appears to be good for Aktor, which has signed “memorandums of understanding and commercial agreements with gas companies in Bulgaria, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania,” according to the report. Guilfoyle also reportedly helped the company secure a $6 billion deal in Albania which would have the country buy gas from Aktor through 2050.
Aktor paid Marafatsos $160,000 between November 2025 through June of this year to “establish connections” within President Donald Trump’s administration, the State Department, and the Energy Department. It was his first lobbying gig. Other Greek companies have been apparently impressed with his work, with three opting to pay Marafatsos a combined $440,000 so far this year.
It’s been a quick move up the lobbying ladder for Marafatsos, after he previously worked in real estate and helped create the “ultimate immersive experience” for the Acropolis in IMAX 3-D.
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