White House defends new press secretary amid questions about her legal credentials

The White House is standing behind Katie Zacharia, its newly named press secretary, after questions arose over whether she is actually licensed to practice law. Donald Trump called her an attorney at her introduction, yet when a reporter asked Tuesday which state had admitted her to the bar, she answered, "When I moved to China." She does not appear to be registered with a bar in any state where she has lived. Communications director Steven Cheung called her highly qualified. On Wednesday, Campaign for Accountability asked the California State Bar Association to investigate whether she presented herself as entitled to practice without a license, according to BBC.

Zacharia, 42, earned a law degree at Pepperdine University in 2011, which by itself does not confer a license. The Wall Street Journal reports she sat for California's bar exam and failed it, around when she was preparing to marry and relocate to Beijing, where her husband worked for an American private equity firm. She says she handled international transaction law there, and her LinkedIn lists an associate post at Zhong Lun Law Firm. Chinese law reserves licenses for its citizens.

Summarized by PolitiKool from BBC’s reporting. Read the full story at BBC →