Katie Zacharia, who started as White House press secretary on Monday after being offered the job on October 9, is leaving the role after five days, CNN reported Friday. She succeeded Karoline Leavitt in the briefing room.
Her debut briefing on Tuesday lasted about 14 minutes, and she took questions from only three reporters, all from conservative-leaning outlets. Scrutiny had also centred on her legal credentials after the Wall Street Journal reported she had failed the California bar exam, which she later confirmed, saying she had been advised she could call herself a lawyer but not an attorney at law.
On Friday morning, President Donald Trump told her, in his own retelling to reporters, that if he were her he would reconsider the job and that she did not need it. A White House official told CNN she was transitioning out, and an adviser said she would leave the White House in the next few days.
Communications Director Steven Cheung said Zacharia would continue to support the president as she transitions to a new role. Trump gave no indication on Friday of a successor, less than three weeks before the midterm elections.
