Did Katie Zacharia pass the bar? Trump's new press secretary faces scrutiny
California's State Bar confirmed it had no record of Katie Zacharia being licensed to practise law in the state
US President Donald Trump's new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, is facing questions about her legal credentials after reports suggested she never passed a US bar examination.
According to The Guardian, Zacharia has repeatedly described herself as a lawyer, although searches of public records found no evidence that she holds a licence to practise law in several US jurisdictions.
The Wall Street Journal reported that she took the California bar examination after graduating from Pepperdine University law school in 2011 but did not pass.
During her first White House briefing on Tuesday, Zacharia was asked which state she had passed the examination in.
“When I moved to China”, she replied. Zacharia later told The New York Times she had misheard the question.
California's State Bar confirmed it had no record of Zacharia being licensed to practise law in the state.
However, Zacharia maintained that she had “practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials”.
A watchdog group, Campaign for Accountability, has filed a complaint asking California authorities to investigate whether she misrepresented her qualifications.
Zacharia has not been charged with any offence, and no criminal wrongdoing has been established.
