Questions Mount Over New White House Press Secretary's Legal Credentials

Katie Zacharia, the newly appointed White House press secretary, is facing questions about her professional credentials after an independent report raised doubts about whether she is licensed to practise law, even though she has described herself as a lawyer for years.

The questions follow a report by the outlet Popular Information, which said Zacharia did not appear to be licensed as a lawyer in any United States state. So far, neither she nor the White House has produced evidence that she passed a bar examination in any state, or in China, where she worked for a large law firm.

In the United States, holding a law degree and being admitted to practise are two separate things. A graduate of an American law school is not automatically entitled to appear as a lawyer; candidates must clear a state bar examination and meet character and fitness requirements in the state where they seek admission. A person may therefore hold a law degree without ever being licensed.

Asked by reporters where she had passed the bar, President Donald Trump stepped aside to let Zacharia answer. “When I moved to China,” she said, over the sound of Marine One in the background. It is not clear what she intended to say or whether she had finished the sentence.

China's National Unified Legal Professional Qualification Examination, widely regarded as one of the most demanding of its kind, may be taken only by Chinese citizens.

Asked what credentials she holds, the White House passed along a statement from Zacharia: “I practised international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials.” The White House communications director, Steven Cheung, said Zacharia was “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.”

Her education is not in dispute. According to Pepperdine University and her LinkedIn profile, she received a bachelor of arts degree from the university in 2007 and a law degree from the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2011.

Her LinkedIn profile states that she has been senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group since June, and that she spent two months earlier this year as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security. From 2011 to 2013, it says, she was an associate on the International Practice Team at the Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing, and from 2012 to 2013 she managed fundraising and communications for Compassion for Migrant Children, which assists the children of migrant workers. More recently, it says, she served as general counsel for Fix California, a group founded by the Trump administration official Richard Grenell. Neither the law firm nor the two organisations responded to questions about her tenure and background.

Zacharia has long described herself in public as a lawyer. Her Instagram biography lists her as White House press secretary and “Wife, Mom, & Lawyer”. Her author page at the California Globe, where she wrote occasional commentary, describes her as a regular commentator on Fox News and Newsmax with “extensive experience in political advocacy, international corporate law, and non-profit work, including time as outside counsel for the World Bank and IFC in Beijing.”

A press release from NovaRed Mining Inc. announcing her appointment to its advisory board said her experience included “matters involving organizations associated with the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation during her tenure with Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing.” That wording describes work on transactions linked to those bodies, rather than a formal position with them.

The press secretary is the administration's chief spokesperson and a senior aide, a role that does not legally require a law licence. Zacharia was announced for the post after only a few months at Trump's social media company, and her first appearance at the briefing podium has drawn criticism from commentators across the political spectrum.

The White House has not said whether it will release further documentation of her credentials.