White House chief of staff Susie Wiles helped arrange Katie Zacharia’s appearance on Fox News shortly before the new White House press secretary was removed from her position, Politico reported on Saturday, citing two people familiar with internal discussions.
The interview with host Sean Hannity aired on Thursday night and focused on Zacharia’s qualifications and her troubled start in the role. She was ousted on Friday after just five days as press secretary.
One person familiar with the White House’s internal dynamics described the appearance as a “sanctioned hit” on Zacharia, who was reportedly not Wiles’ preferred choice for the position.
Another source alleged that Wiles and White House spokesperson Danielle Alvarez had sent Zacharia into a difficult interview with Hannity, with whom Wiles is said to have a friendly relationship.
However, a senior White House official disputed the suggestion that Wiles had orchestrated the interview to undermine Zacharia, saying the chief of staff did not need to arrange such an encounter. White House communications director Steven Cheung also dismissed the reporting as speculation, while Fox News Media said Hannity independently decides whom he interviews and what questions he asks.
Bar exam controversy puts Zacharia under scrutiny
During the interview, Hannity questioned Zacharia about her first White House press briefing, which he described as widely criticized. The briefing lasted 14 minutes and included three questions, according to the report.
He also asked whether she had failed the bar exam, following questions about her legal credentials. Zacharia acknowledged that she had failed the California bar exam in 2011 and had not retaken it.
ALSO READ: Cuban green card applicants face sharp approval decline as US immigration rules come under scrutiny
The controversy had intensified after a reporter questioned her qualifications following her first briefing. Zacharia initially responded that she had taken the bar exam “when I moved to China” before later acknowledging that she had not passed the California examination.
Hannity also raised social media posts identifying her as an attorney. Zacharia said these were retweets and that she had not intended to endorse the title. She added that legal professionals had told her she could describe herself as a lawyer.
A senior White House official told Politico that Zacharia’s appearance on Fox & Friends on Friday morning, along with her response about her legal background, contributed to her departure.
Trump says he told Zacharia to reconsider the role
President Donald Trump said on Friday that he had advised Zacharia to consider whether she wanted to remain press secretary. Referring to her television appearances, he said Hannity and Fox & Friends had been “a little tough” on her.
“I told her, ‘You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,’” Trump told reporters.
Zacharia’s departure comes amid wider tensions inside the West Wing, with Trump reportedly seeking allies’ views about Wiles and considering possible replacements for his chief of staff.
Her five-day tenure was her second brief stint in the administration. Earlier this year, she spent less than two months working at the Department of Homeland Security.