Katie Zacharia, Trump's new press secretary, faces legal scrutiny over her credentials as a lawyer. She has described herself as a lawyer during television appearances and on social media, but questions remain about her legal qualifications.
Zacharia, who graduated from Pepperdine Law School in 2011, took the bar exam in California but did not pass. She moved to China after graduation, where she worked at a Chinese law firm. She has not been registered to practice law in any state where she has lived.
The White House has defended Zacharia's credentials, stating she is 'uniquely qualified and whip smart to help inform the American people.' However, a watchdog group has filed a complaint with the California State Bar Association, seeking an investigation into whether she 'repeatedly held herself out to the public as entitled to practise law without a licence to do so.'
Zacharia has described herself as a lawyer but not an attorney, a distinction she has defended in interviews. She has also served as general counsel for a conservative non-profit, further raising questions about her legal qualifications.