Trump's press secretary Katie Zacharia ousted after five days
Katie Zacharia, the White House press secretary, was pushed out Friday after a short tenure marked by questions about her legal credentials. Trump said she should reconsider the role, and the post is vacant again.
By Standard Topic. AI-generated from the reporting listed under Coverage. Published . Updated .
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What happened
Katie Zacharia was removed as White House press secretary after just five days in the job, following a bumpy first briefing and a dispute over whether she misrepresented herself as a lawyer. President Donald Trump said on Friday that the role may not be right for her and that he would leave the decision to her. A White House official said she would be transitioning out of the post, and she issued her first public statement Friday night, saying it was an honor.
Why it matters
An ethics watchdog urged the State Bar of California to press ahead with an investigation into her legal credentials, saying her exit does not wipe clean the dispute. Critics also argued she was set up to fail.
Timeline
- Oct 16, 1:35 PM ET: Trump told reporters that Zacharia should reconsider her role and that the decision would ultimately be hers.
- Oct 16, 5:49 PM ET: An ethics watchdog group urged the State Bar of California to continue its investigation into Zacharia's legal credentials despite her exit.
- Oct 16, 10:29 PM ET: Zacharia issued her first public statement after a White House official announced she would be transitioning out of the press secretary post.
Coverage
- George Santos: ‘I’d jump to serve’ as White House press secretary (The Hill)
- Zacharia speaks out after White House press secretary exit: ‘It was an honor’ (The Hill)
- Scott Jennings on the once-again vacant White House Press Secretary job (CNN)
- Ex-Trump lawyer Ty Cobb slams Press Secretary ouster, alleges White House ‘double standard’ (CNN)
- 5 days of Katie Zacharia: The rapid fall of Trump’s ‘lawyer’ press secretary (The Hill)
- Press secretary under Clinton says Zacharia was ‘set up to fail’ (The Hill)
- Loomer lobbies to replace Zacharia: ‘Hear me out’ (The Hill)
- Katie Zacharia is out, White House official confirms (sfgate.com)
- Scaramucci on Zacharia’s reported firing: ‘Records are made to be broken’ (The Hill)
- Katie Zacharia is out after half a Scaramucci (Mother Jones)
- Trump casts doubt on press secretary Katie Zacharia's future (PBS)
- Trump says press secretary Katie Zacharia should ‘reconsider’ her role (The Washington Post)
- Trump casts doubt on press secretary Zacharia's future (Spectrum News)
- Trump says he told Zacharia to ‘reconsider’ press secretary role (The Hill)
- Zacharia on China: ‘They don’t even have proper toilets’ (The Hill)
- Trump's press secretary Zacharia ousted after five days over lawyer claims
- Katie Zacharia's bar claim draws scrutiny after she blames mishearing
- Zacharia faces scrutiny over her legal credentials as press secretary
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