Trump selects Katie Zacharia as next White House press secretary
Katie Zacharia attends the Nashville premiere of "David" in Franklin
By Alayna Treene, Kaitlan Collins, Kristen Holmes, Betsy Klein, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump has selected Katie Zacharia, a conservative commentator who worked briefly at the Department of Homeland Security, as his new press secretary, multiple White House officials told CNN.
Trump in recent days called a number of his close allies and advisers, including former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt to seek their opinion of Zacharia, a person familiar with the discussions said. And the president sought Leavitt’s counsel before making a final decision and offering Zacharia the position, they said.
CNN has reached out to Zacharia, who was in the Oval Office with Trump earlier Friday morning, according to a person familiar.
Zacharia’s selection came about quickly. As of last week, she was not being considered for the role, another person familiar said.
Throughout the search to replace Leavitt, the White House struggled with higher-profile names, several of whom had previously criticized Trump. On multiple occasions, senior officials had narrowed down the list, only to find that candidates had said something negative about the president, disqualifying them from the position, according a White House official.
Zacharia’s been a frequent guest on Fox, Newsmax and CNN. And according to her LinkedIn profile, she’s served as a senior communications adviser at the Trump Media and Technology Group and Truth Social since June, which followed a two-month stint as a senior official at the Department of Homeland Security.
Zacharia, who has young children and lives in California, commuted back and forth to Washington when she was filling in at DHS. At the time, she told a friend the commute was not sustainable, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Zacharia has also served as a legal adviser for Fix California, a conservative group founded by Trump ally Richard Grenell.
She first came to Washington as an intern for the Republican National Committee during the George W. Bush administration in 2006.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
The-CNN-Wire
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