White House removes Katie Zacharia after 5 days as press secretary
Why it matters: Her abrupt exit followed scrutiny over her briefing performance and her claim that she was an attorney.
Katie Zacharia left the White House press secretary job after just five days, ending one of the shortest tenures in the role. President Donald Trump signaled the move before it became public, saying he had urged her to reconsider staying because of how she was being treated. Zacharia had faced criticism after a brief first briefing in which she took only a few questions and leaned on prepared notes. The pressure intensified when questions about her legal credentials surfaced. She later acknowledged she had not passed the California bar exam, after initially describing herself as a lawyer. The departure lands as Republicans head toward the November midterm elections and Democrats cast the episode as a sign of disarray.