Trump’s new press secretary leaves after five days

WASHINGTON

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is leaving her post after five days on the job amid scrutiny of her legal credentials, ABC News reported on Oct. 16, citing a senior White House official.

Zacharia said in a social media post later that day that it “was an honor to work for” President Donald Trump.

Trump announced her appointment on Oct. 9. She began work on Oct. 12, succeeding Karoline Leavitt.

Speaking to reporters on Oct. 16, Trump said the press had treated Zacharia unfairly and that he had advised her to reconsider the job.

“Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,” Trump said, recounting his advice to her.

Zacharia’s first briefing on Oct. 13 lasted less than 15 minutes, during which she took questions from three reporters. She later said she had received her briefing materials that morning and had little time to prepare.

Questions also arose over her legal background. Trump had described her as an attorney when announcing her appointment, but she acknowledged in an Oct. 15 Fox News interview that she had failed the California bar exam in 2011 and never retaken it.

Zacharia, who graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011, said she had been preparing to move to China and later worked on international transactions at a Chinese law firm. She defended calling herself a lawyer, saying she had been advised she could use the term.

The watchdog group Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the State Bar of California on Oct. 14, asking it to investigate whether Zacharia had violated state law by presenting herself as a lawyer without a license.

The complaint also questioned her previous work as general counsel at Fix California. Zacharia has said she provided legal analysis rather than legal advice.
ABC News reported, citing two sources, that she would move to another role in the administration, to be announced later.