Since her first appearance behind the podium this week, White House press secretary Katie Zacharia’s past has become murkier by the day.
A WIRED review of deleted social media and professional networking profiles has helped clear up at least one mystery. Zacharia’s online resume shows a gap extending from 2013 to late 2023. For part of that time, she worked as an affiliate of Beachbody, a fitness company that ran a multilevel marketing operation she describes to WIRED as “sort of a pyramid scheme.”
Zacharia’s background prior to her emergence as a right-wing operative and pundit in recent years has been the subject of intense curiosity. Prior to joining the White House’s press team, she was a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, a communications advisor at President Donald Trump’s media company, and a commentator on Newsmax and Fox News.
Other parts of her professional background have come under scrutiny, particularly her legal work. According to her LinkedIn, Zacharia was an associate at the Zhong Lun law firm, known in China as a top tier “red circle” firm, between 2011 and 2013. She also identifies herself on LinkedIn as having worked as general counsel for the nonprofit Fix California. Tax filings reviewed by WIRED, though, show that rather than working as general counsel for Fix California, Zacharia was in fact a fundraiser for the nonprofit.
On Tuesday, journalist Judd Legum reported that Zacharia—who, he noted, was identified as an attorney in at least 18 appearances on Fox News—did not appear to have ever passed the bar.
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