Former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has bid farewell to the Oval Office in a social media post, but eagle-eyed users have pointed out an issue with the picture of her and Trump.
Zacharia resigned from her post less than a week after her appointment. Following her departure, she posted an image of herself with President Trump along with a message praising the US leader.
“President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man,” she wrote. “It was an honor to work for him.” However, social media users allege the picture posted by Zacharia was edited.
Blurred map draws scrutiny
The blurred-out map sitting on top of a stack of blue binders on the Resolute Desk was missing in the second photo Zacharia posted with her family and Trump, and oddly edited in another.
Poppy Wood, the U.S. Correspondent for The Telegraph, stated: “First Katie Zacharia blurred out the map on Donald Trump’s desk, now she appears to have Photoshopped the map out altogether… What is on the map that she doesn’t want people to see?”
Konstantin Toropin, a Pentagon reporter for the Associated Press, stated: “That blurred-out map on POTUS’s desk…” He added: "Turn it to Trump’s pov and you can see Buckeye Drive running straight across and the inlets on the Virginia side of the river- the Pentagon lagoon yacht basin and Roaches Run."
Instagram scrubbing and resignation
The development comes after Zacharia allegedly scrubbed bikini pics from her Instagram account only days after taking her role as White House Press Secretary. The 42-year-old appeared to enter damage control mode, overhauling her Instagram profile to erase bikini snaps she'd previously shared.
Shortly after Zacharia took up her Washington, D.C. post, certain images appeared to vanish from her profile. Speculation suggests the photos once displayed on her page were removed following her acceptance of the press secretary position.
The photos re-emerged after President Donald Trump requested the press secretary to consider her role. Trump's offer to reconsider the position came after the revelation that Zacharia claimed to be a lawyer despite not passing the bar exam. She said she earned her law degree in China, but later claimed she had misheard the question.
Public statement after departure
On Friday, October 16, just a week after her appointment, Zacharia resigned and issued a public statement praising Trump, reports the Irish Star. Shortly afterward, Zacharia posted a statement on social media.
She stated: "President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man. I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to." Zacharia added: "It was an honor to work for him."
