# Katie Zacharia's phantom mining board role

> The fired White House press secretary claimed to join a rare-earths startup's advisory board, but the company says it never happened.
- Title: Katie Zacharia's phantom mining board role · WIRED | Shortify
- Summary: The fired White House press secretary claimed to join a rare-earths startup's advisory board, but the company says it never happened. Katie Zacharia denied…
- Keywords: katie zacharia, white house press secretary, nred intelligent mining, kristi noem, novared mining, advisory board, false claims, dhs, Katie, Zacharia's, phantom, mining
- Source: WIRED — https://wired.com/story/katie-zacharia-was-linked-to-an-ai-rare-earths-startup-its-even-weirder-than-it-sounds
- Author: Tess Owen
- Published: 2026-10-16T20:05:08.239+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: katie zacharia, white house press secretary, nred intelligent mining, kristi noem, novared mining, advisory board, false claims, dhs
## Press secretary fired after five days
Katie Zacharia was dismissed from her role as White House press secretary after just five days in the position. Throughout her brief tenure, her résumé became a source of scrutiny.
## She never passed the California bar
Despite claiming to be an attorney for much of her career, Zacharia never actually passed the California bar exam, as she was eventually forced to admit publicly.
## She was an affiliate marketer for Beachbody
Another element of her professional history was a role as an affiliate marketer for Beachbody, a fitness multilevel marketing company.
## Mining company announced her board role
On June 24, NRED, then known as NovaRed Mining, issued a press release saying Zacharia was joining its advisory board alongside Kristi Noem, former Department of Homeland Security secretary.
## She called the announcement fake
When asked if she was still on the board, Zacharia said, "That was fake," and referred reporters to Sam Amsterdam, a strategic marketing professional whose clients included governments and political parties.

> That was fake
## Amsterdam says release was unauthorized
Amsterdam stated the press release was not approved by Zacharia and was issued without her consent. He said discussions about her joining had occurred but she never actually did so.

> That release was not approved by Ms. Zacharia and was issued without her consent
## Company confirms role never materialized
Valentin Saitarli, NRED's chief technology officer and incoming CEO, confirmed discussions about a role but said it never materialized. He compared it to signing up for a gym but never going.

> It was a bit like signing up for a gym but never actually going for a workout
## Press release remained on company website
Despite Amsterdam's claim the release had been withdrawn, it remained on NRED's website as of Friday. An archived version showed Zacharia listed as management as of at least July.
## Mining company pivoted to AI platform
Earlier this month, NRED announced it was abandoning its flagship Wilmac Copper-Gold Project and putting all resources into MetalCore, its AI-assisted mineral exploration platform.
## Advisory board stacked with non-mining figures
Rather than hiring geologists and technical consultants typical for a junior mining company, NRED recruited people with ties to defense, MAGA, and international entities, including media executive Lee Caplin.
## Navy commander resigned over Noem appointment
Phil Ehr, a retired US Navy commander running for Congress as a Democrat in Florida, resigned from the advisory board after Noem joined.He said he could not work with her due to their political differences.

> Why is Kristi Noem here? I just can't work with her because she is so controversial
## Key takeaway

Katie Zacharia denied joining NRED Intelligent Mining's advisory board after a press release announced her appointment, calling it fake and saying she never actually worked there.