Susie Wiles helped set up Fox interview ahead of press secretary’s exit

Por Sophia Cai, Will Steakin and Connor Stringer — POLITICO – TOP Stories

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles helped set up Katie Zacharia’s appearance on Fox News Thursday night, when the embattled new press secretary struggled to answer questions about her rocky first days on the job, according to two people familiar with the internal dynamics.

She was ousted hours later on Friday.

The interview with host Sean Hannity, which aired during prime time, turned into a pointed examination of Zacharia’s first press briefing and her legal credentials.

One of the people, granted anonymity to discuss internal dynamics, described the appearance as a “sanctioned hit” on Zacharia, who was not Wiles’ preferred choice for the role.

“[White House spokesperson] Danielle [Alvarez] and Susie fed her to Hannity,” a second person familiar with the matter said, noting that Wiles and Hannity are friendly and speak often.

A senior White House official, also granted anonymity to discuss personnel issues, said “Susie and Sean do talk, but Susie did not need to feed her to Sean or anybody else. It’s not her style.”

“And Hannity wasn’t the nail in her coffin; her hit [on Fox & Friends] this morning was, as well as her weird answer on being a lawyer,” the senior White House official said.

Zacharia declined to comment.

White House communications director Steven Cheung in a statement called the reporting on Wiles’ involvement “speculation.”

“All of this breathless speculation is just that— speculation. And it’s fiction that’s not even creative,” Cheung said. “Katie took on a very important job, and she will continue to support the President as she transitions to a new role. She is an amazing teammate and tremendous talent.”

A FOX News insider pushed back on any notion of a “sanctioned” hit.

“It was clear by the end of this week that she did herself in with her own performance. If you can’t answer simple questions about your credentials, that speaks volumes,” the Fox News insider said.

FOX News Media said in a statement that Sean Hannity decides who he interviews and what he asks.

“That’s been true for three decades, through several administrations, and that authenticity is why he’s been number one for nearly 30 years,” the statement said.

Zacharia’s ouster comes amid broader turmoil inside the West Wing. Trump lashed out at Wiles confidante James Blair and former top aide Chris LaCavita over their work in the Balkans advising a Russia-friendly regime’s reelection effort. And as prospects for the midterms darken, Trump has solicited allies’ views of Wiles and mused about possible replacements for his top aide.

Zacharia’s five-day stint underscores the West Wing upheaval. The president’s popularity is near record lows and his party is in real danger of losing the House and Senate. Voters are furious and once-loyal Republicans are distancing themselves from the president. The blame-game is in full swing, and staffers are turning on one another in ways reminiscent of the backstabbing that came to characterize Trump’s first term.

Hannity told Zacharia that her briefing from the podium was “widely panned,” noting it lasted 14 minutes and included three questions. He asked her directly whether she had failed the bar exam following reports that she mischaracterized her legal background.

Zacharia said she had failed the exam.

Hannity also pressed her on social media posts identifying her as an attorney. Zacharia said they were retweets, that she had not meant to endorse the title and that she had consulted legal professionals who told her she could call herself a “lawyer.”

“Not only is Fox News home turf for us, but Katie couldn’t manage to answer a basic question about herself that had been brewing in the news for three days,” a MAGA world operative said.

The interview followed Zacharia’s bumpy first White House press conference.

But it was a question that a reporter shouted upon departure from the White House that set off a three-day news cycle about her qualifications: “You said she’s an attorney. Where did she pass the bar exam?”

Zacharia answered “when I moved to China,” and only later acknowledged that she had failed the California bar exam in 2011 and had not retaken it.

On Friday, Trump said he had told Zacharia to reconsider whether she wanted to remain press secretary. “She was on Sean Hannity last night. And Sean was a little bit tough. I saw she was on Fox and Friends this morning. They were a little tough,” Trump told reporters.

He said he had told her, “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

This was Zacharia’s second short stint in the Trump administration. Earlier this year, she spent less than two months working at the Department of Homeland Security.

Fonte: POLITICO – TOP Stories