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Politics

Katie Zacharia Fired After Five Days as White House Press Secretary

She lasted about half as long as Scaramucci, and a watchdog has asked the California bar to investigate her claims that she's a lawyer.

Katie Zacharia Fired After Five Days as White House Press Secretary
Stock photo. Photo by Dima DallAcqua on Unsplash

Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary less than a week after President Trump gave her the job. The New York Times reported Friday that she was fired, citing three people familiar with the decision, and two U.S. officials told CBS News she is being removed. A senior White House official told Fox News she is "transitioning out" of the role. Neither Zacharia nor the White House responded to the Times' requests for comment.

Hours before the news broke, Trump all but showed her the door in public. "Honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider," he told reporters before boarding Marine One. He added that she had been "brutalized by the media."

A Catastrophic Press Briefing

Trump named Zacharia on Oct. 9 to replace Karoline Leavitt. Her first briefing, on Oct. 13, lasted 14 minutes and took just three questions from reporters. For context, Leavitt's first briefing ran about 47 minutes. Zacharia also called her husband "my president" before correcting herself. By the next day, CNN was reporting that White House officials were openly asking how long she could last.

The lawyer problem

Trump introduced her as an attorney. Zacharia holds a law degree from Pepperdine, but she told Fox's Sean Hannity that she never passed the bar exam and never obtained a U.S. law license.

On Oct. 14, the watchdog group Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the State Bar of California accusing her of the unauthorized practice of law. The complaint points to at least 18 TV appearances in which she was identified as a lawyer or called herself one, and to past titles such as general counsel of the group Fix California. It cites a California law that makes it a misdemeanor to hold yourself out as entitled to practice law without a license, punishable by up to a year in county jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. White House communications director Steven Cheung called the group a "radical leftist-organization." The State Bar has not said whether it will investigate.

"Holding yourself out to the public as a lawyer can carry serious penalties if you do not have a license," said Ryan Stygar, a California employment attorney. "Unauthorized Practice of Law charges are prosecuted at the state level, so Zacharia faces possible criminal liability if she cannot show she had a license to practice."

A new record for a short stay

Until now, the measuring stick for a flameout in Trump's White House was Anthony Scaramucci, who was ousted as communications director in July 2017 after about 10 days. Zacharia lasted roughly half that.

What's still unknown

The White House has not formally announced her departure or named a replacement. It's also unclear whether she was fired outright or allowed to resign.

The takeaway for the rest of us

Most American workers are at-will, which means they can be fired for almost any reason, as long as it isn't an illegal one like discrimination or retaliation. Zacharia's exit is a reminder that a job can vanish in a week. It's also a reminder that the one thing you never pad on a résumé is a license you don't have.

Sources

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