After lasting just five days as White House press secretary and reports emerging that she had not passed the bar exam, many are wondering how Katie Zacharia landed the job in the first place. As it turns out, Natalie Harp, a special assistant and executive assistant to the president, reportedly gave Donald Trump “strong input” in favor of hiring Zacharia. Keep reading for more information.
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Natalie Harp Reportedly Pushed For Katie Zacharia's Hiring
Natalie Harp reportedly played a key role in getting Katie Zacharia considered for the White House press secretary position, giving Donald Trump "strong input" in favor of the hire, according to Axios. The job was no small assignment, either. Zacharia was expected to replace Karoline Leavitt, who unexpectedly left the position in August, leaving some pretty big shoes to fill as the administration's public-facing spokesperson.
Unfortunately, Zacharia's time behind the podium got off to a disastrous start when she faced the White House press corps for the first time on Tuesday, October 13th, answering just three questions before abruptly leaving the briefing, which lasted less than 15 minutes.
Questions about Zacharia's qualifications soon added to the controversy, after it emerged that she had described herself as a lawyer for years despite reportedly failing the bar exam, according to The Wall Street Journal. Zacharia later claimed she had been told she could refer to herself as a "lawyer," even if she was not technically an "attorney," but the explanation only fueled further scrutiny of her credentials.
Susie Wiles Reportedly Gave The 'Kill Order' To Get Rid Of Zacharia
As it turns out, Harp isn't the only person in Trump's inner circle that has some pull with the president. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was said to be behind the decision to push Zacharia out. According to the Daily Mail, Wiles had been bypassed in Trump’s decision to hire Zacharia.
The reported turning point came after Zacharia’s disastrous first press briefing, where host Sean Hannity pressed her about her legal credentials. Per the Daily Mail, Wiles was behind the decision to get Zacharia out, with a senior administration official claiming, "Susie gave Fox News the kill order, but Zacharia was an obviously bad choice. This was totally predictable."
