Zacharia — whose tenure as White House press secretary lasted just five days — spent her final day in the role responding to a continuous flow of questions about her professional background. Questions about her work history drew attention and scrutiny throughout the span of her time in the position.
For much of her career, she had represented herself to others as holding a California law licence — a standing that official records indicated she had not obtained, and which she subsequently confirmed. Coverage from a broadcast news outlet also reported that her work history included a stint promoting products as an affiliate for Beachbody, a fitness company that operates on a multi-level marketing model.
Reporting by one outlet brought to light additional details about her connection to an AI-driven rare earths extraction venture, NRED Intelligent Mining, whose list of strategic advisors includes Kristi Noem, who previously led the Department of Homeland Security. A public announcement from NRED — the Vancouver-based copper-and-gold exploration company then operating under the name NovaRed Mining — confirmed on June 24 that Zacharia, who had stepped away from a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson position roughly two months prior, would be joining the advisory board alongside Noem.
No record of her having worked at NovaRed appears to exist, despite the press release describing a role in which Zacharia would offer the board "strategic guidance" on exploration projects and what it called "emerging artificial intelligence initiatives." When asked on Friday whether her board position remained active, Zacharia described the claim as false and directed the reporter to Sam Amsterdam — described in his own materials as a "strategic marketing and media engagement professional" with a client roster that has included the government of Kazakhstan along with political parties in Georgia, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe.
Amsterdam stated that the press release had been issued without Zacharia's knowledge or authorisation, adding that while conversations about her joining the company had taken place, no formal entry into the organisation had occurred. Amsterdam's brother appears on the company's website as part of NRED's management, and Amsterdam noted he was acting as a personal contact of Zacharia's rather than in any official representative capacity.
Valentin Saitarli, who held the chief technology officer post at NRED and stated he is moving into the chief executive role, noted that a position had been discussed but ultimately did not come to fruition — likening the situation to registering for a gym membership without ever setting foot inside. Separately, he described NRED's direction as one centred on robotics and artificial intelligence. A press release asserting that Zacharia would be joining the company remained visible on NRED's website as of Friday, even though Amsterdam had understood the announcement to have been retracted.
A cached snapshot of the organisation's website placed Zacharia in a management role dating back to at least July. Saitarli noted in response that updates to the site were under way.
Zacharia's appointment to the NovaRed position came eight days after Noem's own nomination went public. Zacharia had spent roughly a month serving under Noem at DHS in a deputy assistant press secretary capacity focused on public affairs, and news accounts at the time noted she maintained close ties to Corey Lewandowski, who held de facto chief of staff authority at the department. Zacharia told the broadcaster that no such connection existed.
Noem's appointment to the advisory board of a Canadian mining firm drew pushback from Canadians, who pointed to her earlier remarks describing Canada as the "51st state." At the time, one broadcaster characterised NovaRed as a copper and gold exploration operation with no revenue, while a separate outlet reported that the company held just $65,689 in cash as of January — an amount NovaRed itself acknowledged would fall short of covering its anticipated operating costs over the following twelve months, though by spring the company's position had begun to shift.
NovaRed's advisory board took shape around figures drawn from defence circles, political movements, and various international organisations — a composition that diverged from the geologists and technical consultants typically found at junior mining companies. NRED disclosed earlier this month that it was stepping back from the Wilmac Copper-Gold Project — its primary asset — to redirect all company resources toward developing and commercialising MetalCore, a platform described as an AI-assisted mineral exploration tool. In a separate interview with a broadcast outlet, Saitarli expressed a vision centred on advancing robotics and mining technology, questioning whether the industry should remain tied to outdated methods.
Phil Ehr, a retired Navy commander who joined NovaRed earlier this year and is seeking a congressional seat in Florida as a Democrat, said he came to the company with no background in mining, while the firm's leadership described ambitions to deploy robotics and artificial intelligence across the global mining industry and, eventually, beyond Earth. Ehr told a broadcast outlet that while commodities markets lay outside his area of expertise, his view held that copper supply would need to expand.
Ehr later described the circumstances surrounding NovaRed's announcement, noting that he had been with the organisation for only a few months when it was issued without any prior discussion with him. Zacharia, he said, appeared to have joined the advisory board at the same time as Noem, with both additions made without his input. Noem had not responded to requests for comment and had recently been overseeing ICE operations in Minneapolis. Ehr stated he wanted no connection to her, and said he raised the question with company representatives of why Noem had been brought on board.
Ehr stated that his inability to work alongside her stemmed from viewing her as too divisive a figure, and noted that the two hold opposing views on what constitutes appropriate conduct within the federal government. The hiring pattern at NovaRed drew his attention, given that a notable portion of the new recruits appeared to have little background in the mining sector. Among those he had anticipated finding on the roster were geologists and technical consultants.
Among those who received positions were Gregory Fedun, whose background included advisory work for the Al Mualla Royal Family of the United Arab Emirates across a portfolio of international projects, alongside media figure Lee Caplin, a co-producer behind HBO's True Detective series. Ehr's departure from the advisory board came shortly after Noem took her seat on it.
Zacharia was also addressing questions about her connection to NRED at the same time as other matters required her attention. On that Thursday evening, while still holding her position as White House press secretary, Zacharia reached out to a reporter and directed them toward fitness influencer Jenelle Summers as a source who could provide "clarity" on Beachbody, a multi-level marketing company with which she had a prior affiliation.
Summers described Zacharia as someone she had connected with through an online platform, noting only that Zacharia had always treated her well and held genuine enthusiasm for fitness-related products and programmes. By Summers's own account, however, Zacharia had not pursued the business to any notable degree. When the characterisation of the company as a "pyramid scheme" — the term Zacharia had applied to it — was put to Summers, she pushed back, drawing a distinction between that framing and what she viewed as a network marketing business model, describing the former as a dated way of thinking. Asked about Zacharia's growing public profile, Summers offered no further assessment beyond stating that Zacharia had always been kind toward her.
No comment from Zacharia arrived in response to outreach about her departure from the position. Amsterdam, when asked by a reporter about her dismissal, indicated he had no prior knowledge of it.
