White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who did not favor Katie Zacharia for press secretary, helped line up the Fox News interview that ultimately led to Zacharia's being fired from the job, according to two people familiar with internal West Wing dynamics who spoke with Politico.
One source described the appearance as a "sanctioned hit" on Zacharia. The second person said, "[White House spokesperson] Danielle [Alvarez] and Susie fed her to Hannity," and noted that Wiles and Hannity are friendly and speak often. One source said Zacharia had not been Wiles' preferred choice for press secretary.
The account comes as Wiles faces questions about her own standing with the president. As Republicans' midterm prospects worsen, Trump has asked allies about Wiles and floated possible replacements, but the White House denies those reports.
Hannity opened the interview by addressing Zacharia's first press briefing, which ran 14 minutes and included three questions. "It's been widely panned. I'm sure you're aware," Hannity said.
Zacharia responded by laying out a compressed timeline. She said she received the offer by phone the previous Wednesday, flew to Washington for a Friday meeting, went home to California on Saturday, and returned Sunday. She said she started on Monday, the Columbus Day federal holiday, and received briefing materials on the morning of her Tuesday briefing.
"So what I feel is I really stepped up to the plate to do the press conference, shaken, w
