Fresh off her first briefing behind the White House lectern, press secretary Katie Zacharia is facing intensifying scrutiny over a basic question of credentials: where, if anywhere, she passed a bar exam.
A US watchdog group has now asked the State Bar of California to investigate whether President Donald Trump’s spokeswoman — a central public voice for the administration — violated the law by repeatedly portraying herself as a lawyer without holding a licence.
Campaign for Accountability filed the complaint, arguing that Ms Zacharia has publicly described herself as a lawyer in television appearances and has identified herself as general counsel for a conservative nonprofit based in California.
“Ms Zacharia has represented herself as a lawyer repeatedly to buttress her reputation and credibility,” the group’s executive director, Michelle Kuppersmith, said.
“The State Bar should investigate whether Ms Zacharia has misled the public about her credentials,” she added.
Mr Trump referred to Ms Zacharia as “an attorney” when he announced her appointment last Friday. But reporters reviewing public records have not found evidence that she is licensed to practise law in any US state.
“I practised international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials,” Ms Zacharia said in a statement to AFP, without stating whether she has ever held a US law licence.
So far, Ms Zacharia has not said where she was admitted to the bar, if at all. When reporters asked her on Tuesday where she had passed a bar exam, she answered: “When I moved to China.”
Katie Zacharia and US President Donald Trump speak to members of the media before boarding Marine One in Washington, DC
Failed bar exam
California’s state bar told US media it had no record of Ms Zacharia holding a law licence under either her married name or her maiden name.
Ms Zacharia, 41, earned her law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011, though graduating from law school does not by itself authorize someone to practise law.
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that she took the California bar exam after graduation but did not pass, citing a source familiar with the matter.
Foreign nationals are not permitted to sit China’s bar exam, although they may perform certain legal roles at Chinese law firms.
According to her professional profile, Ms Zacharia previously worked for a law firm in Beijing.
The questions about her legal background surfaced after a shaky first turn as White House press secretary on Tuesday. Her debut briefing ran about 14 minutes, during which she leaned heavily on prepared notes.
She called on only three news organisations — all widely seen as sympathetic to President Trump — and fumbled several responses, including an instance in which she mistakenly referred to the president as her husband.
Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, now a TV news host, criticized the performance and likened it to a ‘Saturday Night Live’ comedy sketch.
Mr Trump defended his new spokeswoman, telling reporters: “I thought she was very good.”
Ms Zacharia replaced Karoline Leavitt, who resigned in August after emerging as one of the most prominent defenders of Mr Trump’s second administration.
