Katie Zacharia Out as White House Press Secretary After Less Than a Week
Questions surrounding Zacharia's legal credentials and a rocky press briefing led to her swift departure from the role.
Katie Zacharia has resigned as White House press secretary, concluding a tenure of less than one week. Her departure follows a tumultuous period marked by scrutiny over her legal qualifications and a challenging first press briefing.
Zacharia's final 72 hours in the position were characterized by a series of public appearances and interviews aimed at salvaging her role. The controversy intensified after her initial press briefing on Tuesday, where she appeared unprepared and struggled to answer questions. During the briefing, she revealed that President Trump had asked for the resignation of US Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, a piece of information that was not previously public.
Further complicating matters, reporters questioned Zacharia's claim to be a lawyer. When asked by a reporter where she passed the bar exam, Zacharia responded, "When I moved to China." She later attributed this to mishearing the question over the sound of Marine One. Subsequent checks with bar examiners in all 50 states confirmed she had not passed the bar exam anywhere, having failed the California exam in 2011 and not retaken it.
Zacharia's tenure was notably brief, falling significantly short of that of her predecessor, Anthony Scaramucci, who held the position for 11 days. Zacharia herself acknowledged the rushed nature of her appointment, telling host Jack Posobiec on Real America's Voice that she was in a pumpkin patch in California when the President called last week and quickly traveled to Washington. She stated that briefing materials were not finalized until 8 a.m. on the day of her 9:30 a.m. briefing, which she explained was scheduled early due to the President's departure for Alaska.
During media appearances on Thursday, Zacharia described the controversy over her legal credentials as a "miscommunication," asserting that she had earned a law degree and that individuals in the legal field had advised her it was acceptable to identify herself as a "lawyer" for "legal analysis, not legal advice." However, she faced further challenges on Fox News with Sean Hannity, where she reiterated her explanations for not passing the bar exam, stating the results were "inconsequential" as she was planning to move to China and had already graduated and married in the same week. She also addressed reports of her identifying herself as an "attorney" on social media, suggesting these were retweets of titles given to her and that she had corrected the record.
On Friday morning, Zacharia appeared on Fox & Friends, where host Lawrence Jones asked if she had the president's confidence. She responded by referencing her travel with the president during midterm rallies and expressing hope to build trust. She also stated that questions about her legal qualifications were not asked, as she was hired as press secretary, not White House counsel.
Shortly thereafter, President Trump commented to reporters that "maybe it's not for her" and that he had advised Zacharia "you're better off being happy." He characterized the media coverage as "nasty." The White House later confirmed she would be "transitioning" out of the role. Reports indicated that Zacharia's selection was solely President Trump's decision, with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles reportedly not involved in her hiring.
