Susie Wiles helped arrange an interview with Fox before the press secretary left

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles helped to set up Katie Zacharia appearance on Fox News Thursday night, when the embattled new press secretary struggled to answer questions about her difficult first days on the job, according to two people familiar with the internal dynamics.

She was ousted a few hours later, Friday.

Interview with the host Sean Hannitybroadcast in prime time, transformed into a sharp examination of Zechariah first press briefing and its legal references.

One of the people, who requested anonymity to discuss internal dynamics, described the appearance as a “sanctioned hit” on Zechariahwho was not Wiles preferred choice for the role.