Katie Zacharia faces bar complaint over legal credential claims

A public accountability nonprofit filed a complaint with the State Bar of California on Wednesday regarding claims made by White House press secretary Katie Zacharia that she is a lawyer. Al Jazeera reported that critics are questioning whether Zacharia ever passed the bar exam or received a licence to practise law. Under California state law, making a false claim of being a lawyer constitutes a crime. [1]

According to Zacharia's LinkedIn profile, she earned a degree from the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2011, Al Jazeera reported. MS NBC reported that Zacharia is facing questions over whether she misrepresented her legal credentials, creating a credibility issue at the start of her tenure as press secretary for United States President Donald Trump. [1][2]

The legal scrutiny comes after Zacharia made her debut in the James Brady Briefing Room. PBS NewsHour and the Washington Examiner both reported that Zacharia held her first brief press conference, which lasted under 15 minutes. The Washington Examiner noted that the briefing included an eight-minute opening statement followed by just over six minutes of questions from reporters. [3][4]

Zacharia is a California native who graduated from Pepperdine University with an undergraduate degree in 2007 and a Juris Doctor in 2011. Prior to her current role, she worked as a senior communications adviser at Trump Media and Technology Group and as a conservative commentator. As FTMQ News reported earlier, President Donald Trump appointed Zacharia to succeed Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary. [16][17][18]