Katie Zacharia fired as White House press secretary after five days
Zacharia was removed on Friday, five days into the job, after a widely panned first briefing and questions over her legal credentials.
At a glance
- Katie Zacharia was fired as White House press secretary on Friday, five days after she assumed the role, per a White House official.
- She hosted a widely panned first briefing on Tuesday and had faced questions after saying she did not pass the bar exam.
- The New York Times said she was fired; Fox News said she was transitioning out of the role.
Katie Zacharia was fired as White House press secretary on Friday, just five days after she assumed the role, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Reports of the firing came from US news outlets. The New York Times reported that Zacharia had been fired, while Fox News reported that she was "transitioning out" of the role. The two outlets used different language to describe her departure, and the Guardian has asked the White House for comment.
The press secretary is the White House's chief spokesperson to the news media, a highly visible role that involves briefing reporters and answering questions on the administration's behalf. Zacharia's time in it was brief and turbulent.
A rocky first week
Zacharia had a rocky start to her tenure as press secretary. She hosted a widely panned first briefing on Tuesday, and she had also faced questions over her legal credentials after admitting that she did not pass the bar exam.
Whirlwind days
The sequence of events behind her exit was compressed into a matter of days. Zacharia was offered the White House press secretary role on 9 October. She held her first briefing on Tuesday, and on Thursday she detailed the whirlwind sprint to her new position in an interview with the Guardian. Her firing was reported a day later, on Friday.
Career before the podium
Before taking the White House job, Zacharia spent much of her career as a conservative political commentator and in communications roles.
Source: The Guardian.
Questions and answers
- Why was Katie Zacharia fired as White House press secretary?
- A White House official not authorized to speak publicly said she was fired on Friday, five days into the job, after a widely panned first briefing and questions over her legal credentials.
- How long did Katie Zacharia last as White House press secretary?
- Five days. She was offered the role on 9 October, briefed reporters for the first time on Tuesday and was fired the following Friday, according to reports.
- Who reported that Katie Zacharia had been fired?
- The New York Times reported she had been fired, while Fox News reported she was "transitioning out" of the role. The Guardian has asked the White House for comment.
