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White House defends new press secretary Katie Zacharia over legal credentials
Overview
The White House is defending newly appointed press secretary Katie Zacharia following scrutiny over her legal credentials and whether she is licensed to practise law in the United States. While President Donald Trump and Zacharia herself have referred to her as an attorney or lawyer, she does not appear to be registered to the bar in any US state. A watchdog group has filed a complaint with the California State Bar Association seeking an investigation, while the White House maintains she is uniquely qualified.
Key points
- The White House defended new press secretary Katie Zacharia amid questions regarding her legal credentials.
- When asked where she passed the bar exam, Zacharia responded, "When I moved to China."
- A watchdog group, Campaign for Accountability, filed a complaint with the California State Bar Association seeking an investigation into whether she held herself out as entitled to practise law without a licence.
- Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University law school in 2011 and took the California bar exam but did not pass.
- She stated she practised international transaction law in China and worked at a Beijing law firm, though foreign employees cannot obtain a Chinese law licence.