Media Interviews and White House Dynamics

In the days leading up to her interview on Hannity, former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia actively pursued media opportunities, including reaching out to Sean Hannity, as indicated by text messages reviewed by Breitbart News.

These messages counter the narrative posited by Politico that suggested White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had organized the Thursday interview, which occurred just before President Donald Trump offered Zacharia a way out after a brief five-day term as press secretary.

A White House source informed Breitbart News that Politico had obtained texts showing that Zacharia herself was the one to initiate the booking, prior to the publication of its piece claiming Wiles facilitated the Fox interview.

One exchange from Tuesday afternoon, shortly after Zacharia’s press briefing, reveals that a Fox News producer noted Zacharia had expressed interest in doing an interview that same night on Hannity. However, due to President Trump’s rally in Alaska that evening, the interview did not happen.

The producer mentioned, “Katie said she can join us from the rally tonight.” But another official quickly pointed out, “I don’t believe the timing works,” since Trump would either be speaking at that moment or just wrapping up as Hannity aired at 9 p.m. Eastern.

Later that Wednesday morning, Zacharia reached out to a White House official, saying she wanted to do news appearances in the morning and evening. She added, “If you could book those m-f” and “To the extent possible.” Ultimately, Zacharia did appear on Hannity that Thursday evening.

Interestingly, the Politico article omitted mention of these text messages that challenge its narrative and instead relied on unnamed sources, one suggesting that Wiles and White House spokesperson Danielle Alvarez had “fed” Zacharia to Hannity.

A White House official revealed that a journalist admitted editors weren’t willing to remove Wiles from the article since she served as the “hook” for the story.

This piece followed two earlier Politico articles, one claiming Trump was considering replacing Wiles with several potential candidates. Trump labeled this narrative “bullshit” and provided a statement highlighting Wiles’ trust and loyalty as his longest-serving Chief of Staff. He asserted that she is a reliable advisor and that he has complete confidence in her.

The subsequent article noted that the first one triggered a “freakout” in the West Wing, which prompted Executive and Special Assistant to the President, Natalie Harp, to show Trump the printed piece.

As mentioned earlier, Trump’s commentary for that article reportedly led to the concern expressed within the administration. A White House source indicated that Politico’s reporters were aware he had been briefed before publication, yet they still printed that the initial article caused such a “freakout.”

A White House official criticized Politico’s recent reporting, claiming it illustrated a decline in journalistic integrity under new leadership, focusing more on sensational stories than factual reporting. The official argued that what was once a reputable news outlet has shifted towards gossip and sensationalism, sacrificing credibility for popularity.

“Sensationalism has replaced substance, personal attacks have overtaken reporting, and journalistic integrity is nonexistent,” the official added, expressing disappointment in the publication’s current direction.