Zacharia faces scrutiny over her legal credentials as press secretary
Katie Zacharia, the White House press secretary, faces a bar complaint and questions over her claim to be a lawyer. She says she misheard a reporter's question about where she took the bar exam.
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What happened
Katie Zacharia, the new White House press secretary, has faced questions about whether she is a lawyer after giving an unexpected answer about where she passed the bar exam. A watchdog group, the Campaign for Accountability, has asked the California State Bar to investigate her claims. Zacharia has now said she misheard the reporter's shouted question, which led her to say she had taken the exam while in China.
Why it matters
The complaint asks for an investigation into whether Zacharia's claims about her legal credentials were accurate. Commentators have questioned whether she is qualified for the role of press secretary.
Timeline
- Oct 14, 12:42 PM ET: The Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the California State Bar Association asking for an investigation into Zacharia's claims about being a lawyer.
- Oct 14, 8:45 PM ET: Zacharia told The New York Times that the confusion over her legal credentials was the result of a misunderstanding.
- Oct 15, 8:29 AM ET: Zacharia said she misheard a shouted question from a reporter about where she passed the bar exam, which led her to say she had done so while in China.
Coverage
- Zacharia says she misheard question on where she took bar exam (The Hill)
- What we know about Katie Zacharia’s legal work in China (The Hill)
- Katie Zacharia Is Trump’s New Press Secretary. But Is She a Lawyer? (The New York Times)
- Trump press secretary Katie Zacharia faces scrutiny over claims she’s a lawyer (Spectrum News)
- Watchdog files complaint against Zacharia with California bar (The Hill)
- The real problem with Katie Zacharia not actually being a ‘lawyer’ (CNN)
- Trump's press secretary Katie Zacharia ousted after five days
- Trump's press secretary Zacharia ousted after five days over lawyer claims
- Katie Zacharia's bar claim draws scrutiny after she blames mishearing
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