The White House faced growing scrutiny on Wednesday over the legal qualifications of its new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, after she failed to give a clear response when asked where she had passed the bar examination on her first day in the role.
The controversy intensified after the Campaign for Accountability, a US watchdog organisation, lodged a complaint with the State Bar of California, urging an investigation into whether Zacharia had unlawfully presented herself as a licensed lawyer.
The group alleged that President Donald Trump’s spokeswoman had repeatedly identified herself as a lawyer during television appearances and had also listed herself as general counsel of a conservative nonprofit organisation 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.
Trump referred to Zacharia as “an attorney” when announcing her appointment on October 9.
However, media investigations have reportedly found no record showing that she is licensed to practise law in any US state.
Responding to questions about her qualifications, Zacharia said, “I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials,” but did not clarify whether she held a US legal practising licence.
She has yet to identify the jurisdiction where she was admitted to the bar, if any. When reporters asked on October 13 where she had passed the bar examination, she replied, “When I moved to China.”
The State Bar of California reportedly confirmed to US media outlets that its records contained no licence under either Zacharia’s married name or her maiden name.
Zacharia, 41, graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011. However, a law degree alone does not confer the right to practise law without meeting the relevant licensing requirements.
Foreign nationals are not permitted to sit China’s bar examination, although they may perform certain legal work at Chinese law firms.
According to her professional profile, Zacharia previously worked at a law firm in Beijing.
The questions surrounding her legal credentials emerged after a difficult first appearance as White House press secretary on October 13. During the 14-minute briefing, she relied heavily on prepared notes and took questions from only three news organisations described in the report as sympathetic to Trump.
She also struggled with some responses and mistakenly referred to the president as her husband at one point.
Her performance attracted criticism from former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who now works as a television news host and compared the briefing to a comedy sketch on Saturday Night Live.
Trump, however, expressed satisfaction with her debut, telling reporters, “I thought she was very good.”
Zacharia replaced Karoline Leavitt, who left the position in August after emerging as one of the most prominent defenders of Trump’s second administration.