White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Confirms Did Not Pass Bar Exam After Viral Video

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, under scrutiny over her legal credentials, seemed to acknowledge Thursday that she had failed the bar exam, but argued she was accurate in presenting herself as a lawyer.

Appointed by US President Donald Trump, Zacharia has described herself as a lawyer during television appearances and on social media, and listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit. But there is no evidence to suggest that the 41-year-old press secretary has ever passed the bar exam, required to obtain a license to practice law in the United States, after graduating from Pepperdine University with a law degree.

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Zacharia, accompanying Trump, was questioned by reporters on Tuesday as to where she passed the bar. She seemed to respond: "When I moved to China," prompting a flurry of criticism. Watch the video here:

Then, when questioned Thursday by conservative media outlet Real America's Voice, Zacharia said she had registered to take the bar exam but was then "distracted and overwhelmed" by plans to move with her husband to China.

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"We just said, 'Let's take this time, and I'll take the bar and see what happens.' The results are somewhat inconsequential because I knew I wouldn't need the bar in China, and we left shortly thereafter," she said.

The White House was facing mounting questions over Katie Zacharia's legal credentials. White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung defended Zacharia, saying "she is uniquely qualified and whip smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his Administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as Press Secretary."

US group files complaint with State Bar of California

A US watchdog group filed a complaint with the State Bar of California, asking it to investigate whether Trump's spokeswoman - the public face of the administration - had broken the law by repeatedly presenting herself as a lawyer without a license.

Campaign for Accountability said Zacharia had described herself as a lawyer during television appearances and listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit.

"Ms. Zacharia has represented herself as a lawyer repeatedly to buttress her reputation and credibility," said the group's executive director, Michelle Kuppersmith "The State Bar should investigate whether Ms. Zacharia has misled the public about her credentials," she added.

"In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn't puffery; it's a crime," the organisation stated in a press release.

Trump described Zacharia as "an attorney" when announcing her appointment Friday, but journalists have found no record of her being licensed to practice law in any US state.

"I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials," Zacharia said in a statement to AFP, without clarifying whether she held a US law license.

Zacharia has not specified where, if anywhere, she was admitted to the bar.

Zacharia worked for law firm in Beijing

Foreign nationals cannot sit China's bar exam, although they can undertake certain legal work at Chinese law firms. Zacharia previously worked for a law firm in Beijing, according to her professional profile.

California's state bar confirmed to US media that it had no record of Zacharia holding a license under either her married or maiden name.

Zacharia, 41, graduated from Pepperdine University's law school in 2011, but obtaining a law degree does not automatically qualify someone to practice law.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Zacharia sat the California bar exam after graduating but did not pass, citing a source familiar with the matter.

She explained that she didn't retake the bar exam upon returning to the United States due to the birth of her first child.

Zacharia said that "many people in the field" had assured her that she could "label myself a lawyer, not attorney at law...and provide legal analysis, not legal advice," given her law degree and experience in business law gained in China. "I was very careful how I executed this," she said.

Katie Zacharia's first appearance

The controversy followed a rocky first appearance as White House press secretary on Tuesday, when Zacharia read extensively from prepared notes during a briefing lasting just 14 minutes.

She took questions from only three news organisations, all considered sympathetic to Trump, and stumbled over some answers, at one point accidentally referring to the president as her husband.

Her performance drew criticism from former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, now a TV news host, who compared it to a "Saturday Night Live" comedy sketch.

Trump, however, praised Zacharia's debut, telling reporters: "I thought she was very good."

She succeeded Karoline Leavitt, a loyal Trump supporter and often combative press secretary, who stepped down in August to care for her children.

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