Katie Zacharia leaves White House press secretary role after five days

Katie Zacharia, the White House press secretary, is leaving the role after five days, according to several news organisations citing administration officials. A White House official described her as “transitioning out,” while NBC News reported that an administration official said she would move to another role that has yet to be announced.

The change leaves the high-profile communications post without a named successor less than three weeks before the midterm elections, NBC News reported. The available accounts rely on officials speaking without public attribution; no on-the-record White House announcement was included in those reports.

President Donald Trump had earlier said he had advised Zacharia to reconsider the job. Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Friday, Trump said he had asked her whether the position was right for her and told her she did not have to remain if she did not want to.

“If I were you, I’d reconsider,” Trump said he told her, according to CNBC and The Washington Post. He said he would let Zacharia make the decision and argued that press coverage of her had been harsh.

Why is Katie Zacharia leaving the White House press secretary role?

Neither Trump’s remarks nor the accounts from anonymous White House and administration officials set out an official reason for the change. CNBC, NBC News and The Washington Post reported that the rapid departure followed scrutiny of Zacharia’s first press briefing and questions about her legal credentials.

Zacharia had one briefing during her tenure. CNBC reported that she took questions from three reporters, while The Washington Post reported that she read from a script and left after the session. The briefing was followed by reporting and public questions about her past descriptions of herself as a lawyer or attorney.

According to NBC News and The Washington Post, Zacharia acknowledged that she had not passed the California bar exam. CNBC reported that she had drawn a distinction between referring to herself as a lawyer and as an attorney, while noting that Trump had described her as an attorney when announcing her selection.

A five-day tenure

Trump announced Zacharia as the replacement for Karoline Leavitt on Oct. 9, and she began work after the Columbus Day holiday, according to CNBC. The White House official’s formulation that she is transitioning out stops short of specifying whether she resigned, was dismissed or reached another arrangement with the administration.

The Washington Post’s comparison of White House press secretary tenures put Zacharia’s service at five days. It separately noted that Anthony Scaramucci served for about 10 days as White House communications director in Trump’s first administration, a different post.

The administration has not identified who will handle the press secretary’s responsibilities next or described Zacharia’s prospective new role. Readers can review CNBC’s report on Trump’s public comments and the White House official’s account.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.