Zacharia out as press secretary after less than a week
by Jeff Mordock, Tom Howell Jr., Kerry Picket · The Washington TimesKatie Zacharia will no longer serve as President Trump’s press secretary, getting the ax less than a week into the high-pressure job after a shaky podium debut and a scramble to defend whether she was a real lawyer.
A White House official told The Washington Times that Ms. Zacharia is “transitioning out” of the role.
Word of her ouster followed Mr. Trump’s blunt admission to reporters that he urged Ms. Zacharia to reconsider the position, citing the “nasty” response to her public debut.
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“I said to Katie, ’You know, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” he told White House reporters Friday. “I said to her, ’Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider.’
“I just want her to be happy,” Mr. Trump said.
Ms. Zacharia had a rocky first briefing. It lasted 15 minutes and seemed overly scripted to some critics. She also faced questions about why she identified herself as a lawyer despite not passing the bar exam.
Ms. Zacharia took over the press secretary job for Karoline Leavitt, who joined the White House at the start of Mr. Trump’s second term but left in August to spend more time with family.
Ms. Zacharia tried to defend herself Thursday in a tough interview with conservative television personality Sean Hannity, a Fox News host who is friendly with Mr. Trump.
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“It’s been widely panned. I’m sure you’re aware,” Mr. Hannity said of her first briefing Tuesday. “It only lasted 14 minutes. You only took three questions.”
Ms. Zacharia said she detailed Mr. Trump’s accomplishments and delivered breaking news about a major change in the administration, referring to the forced resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle.
“Given the fact that I’ve been on the job less than maybe eight hours, and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I did my very best, Sean, to deliver for the American people that day,” Ms. Zacharia said.
Ms. Zacharia said she got a phone call on Wednesday, flew to Washington on Thursday, had a White House meeting on Friday and was offered the job.
She flew back to California on Saturday and flew to Washington again on Sunday and had a briefing on Monday morning, a federal holiday.
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“What I feel is I really stepped up to the plate to do the press conference, Sean, with very little prep time,” she said.
Ms. Zacharia also spent the week defending her decision to identify as a lawyer or attorney.
“You went to Pepperdine Law School, but you did not pass the bar exam, correct?” Mr. Hannity said.
“Correct,” Ms. Zacharia said.
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Ms. Zacharia said she sat for the bar exam at a busy time in her life — her family was poised to move to China – because she did not want a withdrawal on her record.
She said she was not worried about the result, anyway, because of the overseas move. She got a job in an “international practice of a Chinese law firm” and worked on big transactions.
Mr. Trump said it was not unusual for lawyers to take the bar exam multiple times before passing and that he hired Ms. Zacharia to be a press secretary, anyway, not a lawyer.
With a little more than two weeks until the midterm elections, Democrats used Ms. Zacharia’s departure to paint a picture of a White House in disarray.
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Democratic National Committee Deputy Communications Kendell Witmer noted Ms. Zacharia is the second high-profile woman to be fired this week by Mr. Trump, following the ousting of former U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle over allegations she promised a GOP donor access to the Trump officials in exchange for paying off her credit card debt.
“Donald Trump’s White House is in upheaval as yet another official leaves his administration amid embarrassing scandals and sinking approval ratings,” Ms. Witmer said. “Trump’s presidency has been an unmitigated disaster, leaving even the most loyal sycophants unable to defend the mess he’s made.”
Ms. Zacharia is the fifth high-profile female member of the administration to be fired this year. Others include Attorney General Pam Bondi, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Ms. Guilfoyle. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard resigned earlier this year, citing her husband’s health issues.
The Washington Times has reached out to Ms. Zacharia for comment.
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Her early stumbles drew comparisons to Anthony Scaramucci, who lasted less than two weeks as Mr. Trump’s White House communications director in July 2017.
“Records are made to be broken,” Mr. Scaramucci said on social media. “But I take no pleasure in other people’s pain.”
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Tom Howell Jr.
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Jeff Mordock
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Kerry Picket
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