Katie Zacharia fired after five days as White House press secretary

Katie Zacharia was fired as the White House press secretary on Friday, just five days after she assumed the role, according to a White House official not authorized to speak publicly.

Zacharia had a rocky start to her tenure as press secretary, hosting a widely panned first briefing on Tuesday. She had also faced questions over her legal credentials after admitting she did not pass the bar exam.

The Guardian has asked the White House for comment. The New York Times reported Zacharia had been fired. Fox News reported she was “transitioning out” of the role.

Zacharia, who spent much of her career as a conservative political commentator and in communication roles, was offered the White House press secretary role on 9 October.

She detailed the whirlwind sprint to her new role in an interview with the Guardian on Thursday.