White House Set Up Press Secretary For Brutal TV Grilling Before Firing: Report

Former White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia was grilled by Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday during his primetime show when he asked her questions about her legal credentials after scrutiny arose regarding her classification of herself as an attorney.

Zacharia struggled to answer the questions and defend herself.

"You took the bar exam but you didn't pass the bar exam. Correct?," Hannity asked her.

"Correct, yes Sean", she replied.

Oh my goodness Sean Hannity completely destroyed and humiliated Katie Zacharia. This is BRUTAL. https://t.co/QFJr504ZfS

— Jaimee Michell (@JaimeeUSA) October 16, 2026

According to a report by The Telegraph, US President Donald Trump's most senior aide, Susie Wiles helped set up the news interview as a "sanctioned hit" because Zacharia was not her preferred choice to replace Karoline Leavitt.

Hours after the interview, she was fired by Trump.

Citing a source, The Telegraph reported that Wiles and Hannity have a close relationship and said, "[White House spokesperson] Danielle [Alvarez] and Susie fed her to Hannity."

A senior White House official said, "Susie and Sean do talk, but Susie did not need to feed [Mrs Zacharia] to Sean or anybody else. It's not her style."

"And Hannity wasn't the nail in her coffin; her hit this morning was, as well as her weird answer on being a lawyer", they added.

However, a spokesperson for Fox News Media said in a statement that Hannity chooses whom to interview and what questions to ask.

Presidential aide Natalie Harp, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and former White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia join US President Donald Trump boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on October 13, 2026.
Photo Credit: AFP

What Happened During The Interview

Zacharia explained to Hannity that she graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law and got married in the same week in 2011 and said that because she and her husband had immediate plans to relocate to China, she viewed the state bar exam results as "inconsequential".

She sat for the test only because she was already registered and did not want a "withdrawal status" on her academic record.

READ | Chat With JD Vance, Then Fired Moments Later: How Katie Zacharia Was Axed

She further said that she went on to work in the international practice division of a Chinese law firm handling cross-border corporate transactions, a role where being admitted to a US state bar was not a requirement.

Zacharia described herself as a "lawyer" rather than an "attorney," stating she had consulted the president of Pepperdine University after law school and was advised she could use "lawyer" but not "attorney".

When Hannity pointed out multiple posts where she was identified as an attorney, Zacharia responded, "I think they were retweets, and I corrected the record".

Following the controversy and the interview, Zacharia confirmed her departure from her role as White House Press Secretary.

Trump Had Asked Zacharia To "Reconsider" The Job

Trump told reporters that he had asked Zacharia to "reconsider" the job. He said that he told Zacharia that she did not have to do this job and that if he were her, he would reconsider the position.

READ | "Was An Honour": Katie Zacharia On 5-Day Stint As Trump's Press Secretary

"I told Katie in my opinion she was treated very unfairly," Trump said, noting that Zacharia has been "brutalised by the media."

"I just think the press has been very tough on Katie and I said, 'there's no reason you have to go through this,' " he said.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Zacharia has been the senior communications adviser at the Trump Media & Technology Group since June and spent two months as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year.