Katie Zacharia's bar claim draws scrutiny after she blames mishearing
The White House press secretary, who has been questioned over whether she is a lawyer, says a shouted question caused a mix-up. A California watchdog has asked the state bar to investigate.
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What happened
Katie Zacharia, the White House press secretary, faces questions about whether she is a lawyer after she gave an unexpected answer about where she passed the bar exam. She has now said she misheard a reporter's shouted question, which led her to say she had taken the exam in China.
Why it matters
A watchdog group has asked the California State Bar to investigate her claims about her legal credentials. Her early briefings in the role have also drawn criticism from former White House officials.
Timeline
- Oct 14, 12:42 PM ET: The Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the California State Bar asking for an investigation into Zacharia's claims about her legal credentials.
- Oct 15, 6:00 AM ET: Asked where she had passed the bar exam, Zacharia gave a surprising answer that tied it to her time in China.
- Oct 15, 8:29 AM ET: Zacharia said she had misheard a shouted question from a reporter about the bar exam, which led her to answer as she did.
- Oct 15, 3:26 PM ET: Zacharia said she had tracked President Trump's interests and deliberately discussed them on television before she was chosen for the role.
Coverage
- Zacharia ‘tracked every news hit’ to capture Trump’s attention in press secretary search (The Hill)
- Ex-Trump aide: Katie Zacharia ‘not qualified for the job’ (CNN)
- Spicer weighs in on Zacharia’s White House press briefing: ‘I felt bad for her’ (The Hill)
- Katie Zacharia's debut shows the pitfalls and possibilities of White House press secretary's role (PBS)
- Kaitlan Collins on Katie Zacharia’s ‘brutal’ WH Press Briefing (CNN)
- Trump’s New Press Secretary Makes a Rocky Debut at the White House Podium (WSJ)
- Zacharia’s first spin at White House podium draws rocky reviews (The Hill)
- Enter the Zachbot: Trump’s new press secretary malfunctions on podium debut (The Guardian)
- Katie Zacharia makes brief debut as White House press secretary (Spectrum News)
- Trump’s new press secretary raises eyebrows with bar exam response (The Hill)
- Katie Zacharia ends first White House press briefing after 14 minutes (USA Today)
- White House official calls Katie Zacharia’s first press briefing ‘brutal’ (kten.com)
- White House officials question whether Trump will keep Zacharia in press secretary role after short first briefing (CNN)
- KFile uncovers incendiary posts by Trump’s new White House Press Secretary (CNN)
- New White House press secretary begins her term (The Washington Post)
- Trump says new press secretary to hold first press conference next week (The Hill)
- Trump's press secretary Katie Zacharia ousted after five days
- Trump's press secretary Zacharia ousted after five days over lawyer claims
- Zacharia faces scrutiny over her legal credentials as press secretary
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