Katie Zacharia, recently appointed as Donald Trump's White House Press Secretary, faced an uncomfortable revelation during her first press conference on Tuesday. According to a CNN investigation, in 2022, Zacharia shared a post on Truth Social portraying Vladimir Putin as a fighter against a so-called network of leftist elites, just weeks following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The post Zacharia shared, initially posted by an account named "Richard Tomas," claimed, "Putin is at war with the cabal, and Ukraine is allied with them." The post featured images of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and George Soros as alleged members of this network.
The same investigation disclosed that Zacharia was also actively promoting content related to the "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory in 2022, which baselessly accused Democrats and public figures of sexually abusing minors.
In September of that year, she wrote on Truth Social: "Pedo Podesta. #pedoPodesta," referring to John Podesta, former Chief of Staff for Bill Clinton and campaign manager for Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Podesta has never faced formal charges or accusations of any crime. He has labeled Pizzagate as "alt-Right fake news." Clinton herself testified before Congress in February, calling the conspiracy "completely fabricated."
What makes Zacharia's history particularly noteworthy is the origin of these narratives: the Pizzagate theory directly emerged from Podesta's emails, which were stolen in 2016 by the Russian hacker group Fancy Bear, linked to Russian military intelligence, and released by WikiLeaks.
Thus, Zacharia's posts connect two narratives favorable to Moscow: one portraying Putin as a hero against elites and another demonizing Democrats with accusations stemming from material obtained by Russian operatives.
This pattern fits into the long history of pro-Putin sympathies within the MAGA movement.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation documented numerous contacts between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian nationals, including the sharing of internal information by then-campaign manager Paul Manafort to Konstantin Kilimnik, described by the U.S. Senate as linked to Russian intelligence.
Trump consistently dismissed that investigation as a "witch hunt" and has endeavored to discredit and shut it down since taking office for his second term.
Zacharia was appointed by Trump on October 9 to replace Karoline Leavitt, who vacated the position in August. Before her appointment, she served as a senior communications advisor for Trump Media & Technology Group, owner of Truth Social, and briefly as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security under Kristi Noem.
Upon announcing her appointment, Trump praised her on Truth Social for her "impeccable record of support" and described her as "a loyal and brilliant supporter from the outset."
However, CNN's investigation also uncovered a deleted tweet from Zacharia on platform X warning, "The 2026 midterms will be a bloodbath if we don't change course now," an implicit critique of the administration itself.
In her inaugural press briefing, Zacharia also announced that Trump had requested Kimberly Guilfoyle's resignation as ambassador to Greece. When questioned about the revelations of her social media history, she responded that she was "grateful to serve President Trump as Press Secretary" and that she would "diligently and effectively amplify his successful agenda."
White House Communications Director Steven Cung described her as "a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team" and assured that she would do "an incredible job."
Key Insights into Katie Zacharia's Controversial Past
What controversial post did Katie Zacharia share in 2022?
In 2022, Katie Zacharia shared a post on Truth Social that depicted Vladimir Putin as fighting against a supposed network of leftist elites, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Has John Podesta been formally charged with any crimes?
John Podesta has never been formally charged with any crimes. He has called the Pizzagate conspiracy "alt-Right fake news."
How did Trump respond to the investigation into his 2016 campaign's Russian connections?
Trump consistently labeled the investigation into his 2016 campaign's Russian connections as a "witch hunt" and has sought to discredit and end it since his second term began.