The new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, faced questions on Wednesday about her legal career before becoming the top spokeswoman for US President Donald Trump.
Zacharia, who joined the White House on Monday, has said she practiced law before entering politics. Trump has described her as an attorney.
But Reuters could not find records showing Zacharia was registered as an attorney or member of the bar in any US state or the District of Columbia.
The questions about Zacharia's credentials come as she takes the podium just three weeks before November's midterm elections, a critical period when the president is seeking to tout his administration's accomplishments and help his fellow Republicans retain control of Congress.
Zacharia was an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing from 2011 to 2013 and general counsel at Fix California, an advocacy group founded by Trump ally Ric Grenell, from 2024 to 2025, according to her LinkedIn profile.
In a text message, Grenell said Zacharia was "a senior adviser, who did a lot of different roles," including "leading the outside counsel, who were our lawyers."
Zhong Lun did not respond to emailed requests for comment. The White House did not respond to questions about Zacharia's legal background or credentials.
"I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials," Zacharia said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.
Trump hired Zacharia after expressing concerns about the media coverage of his administration, feeling he needed a new spokesperson who could amplify his achievements, according to two people familiar with the conversations. She replaced Karoline Leavitt, who left the White House in August.
The timing of Zacharia's hiring so close to the midterms caught some White House staff by surprise, one official said.
On Tuesday during her first briefing, she took questions from just three reporters before ending the event in under 15 minutes. Her performance was criticised by some media commentators and political analysts, though Trump told reporters: "I thought she was very good."
Zacharia earned her law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011, according to the university. Nearly all licensed US lawyers first obtain a law degree, but law school graduates cannot legally practice law in the US without first being admitted to a state bar.
Asked by a reporter on Tuesday where she had passed the bar exam, Zacharia said, "when I moved to China."
In China, the law requires practicing lawyers to be Chinese nationals. Foreign staff can advise and consult on legal matters but not practice law.
Renee Knake Jefferson, a University of Houston law professor and legal ethics expert, said the debate over Zacharia’s status is a “fundamental matter of public trust” that goes beyond “professional semantics.”
“Of course it goes without saying that one needn’t be a lawyer to serve as the White House press secretary,” Jefferson said. “The public is entitled to accurate information about whether a government official is claiming to hold a professional role that they do not, which is what has been alleged here.”