WASHINGTON – The White House is facing questions over the professional qualifications of its new press secretary Katie Zacharia after her first media briefing raised doubts about whether she holds a licence to practise law in the United States.
The controversy intensified after the Campaign for Accountability, a US-based watchdog organisation, lodged a complaint with the State Bar of California, urging an investigation into whether Zacharia had misrepresented her legal credentials.
The group alleged that Zacharia had repeatedly presented herself as a lawyer in television appearances and identified herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative non-profit organisation.
Its executive director, Michelle Kuppersmith, said the state bar should examine whether Zacharia had misled the public about her professional qualifications.
President Donald Trump introduced Zacharia as an attorney when announcing her appointment on Friday. However, subsequent scrutiny found no publicly available record confirming that she was licensed to practise law in any US state.
In a statement, Zacharia said she had worked in international transactional law and possessed the appropriate credentials, but did not clarify whether she held a US law licence.
Her qualifications also came under scrutiny during her first press briefing on Tuesday, when reporters asked where she had passed the bar examination. She responded, “When I moved to China,” without providing further clarification.
The State Bar of California reportedly confirmed that it had no record of a licence issued to Zacharia under either her married or maiden name.
Zacharia, 41, graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2011. However, a law degree alone does not grant its holder the right to practise law without meeting the relevant licensing requirements.
She previously worked at a law firm in Beijing, according to her professional profile. Although foreign nationals can undertake certain legal work in China, they are not eligible to sit the country’s national bar examination.
The dispute follows criticism of Zacharia’s first appearance as White House press secretary. Her initial briefing lasted approximately 14 minutes, during which she relied heavily on prepared notes and answered questions from only three news organisations.
She also stumbled over some responses and mistakenly referred to Trump as her husband at one point.
Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, now a television host, criticised the performance, comparing it to a comedy sketch on Saturday Night Live.
Trump, however, defended his new spokesperson, telling reporters that he considered her first briefing successful.
Zacharia replaced Karoline Leavitt, who left the position in August after becoming a prominent spokesperson for Trump’s second administration.
The California bar complaint could lead to further scrutiny of Zacharia’s professional background as questions continue over whether she is authorised to describe herself as a practising attorney.