White House Press Secretary Deflects on Legal Qualifications, Blames Trump for Not Asking
Katie Zacharia states she was hired to represent the president in the press, not as legal counsel, amid scrutiny over her past claims of being an attorney.
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia has responded to scrutiny regarding her past claims of being an attorney by stating that President Donald Trump never inquired about her legal qualifications before hiring her for the press secretary role. Zacharia, a former Fox News commentator, has faced questions about identifying as a lawyer despite never passing a U.S. bar exam.
During an interview on Fox & Friends, host Lawrence Jones asked Zacharia if she wished she had disclosed her bar exam status to the president. Zacharia replied, "Well, Lawrence, those questions weren't asked. I'm being hired as White House press secretary and not White House counsel. The conversations and the reason I was hired was to represent the president in the press."
Zacharia initially caused confusion when she stated on Tuesday that she had passed the bar exam in China. This statement prompted reporters to question the validity of her claim, as U.S. bar exams are not administered in China. She later clarified that she had misunderstood the question and that passing the bar was not necessary for her previous work in China, where U.S. legal qualifications would not have been applicable.
Zacharia worked in Beijing for the Zhong Lun Law Firm from approximately August 2011 to June 2014, practicing international transaction law. Her LinkedIn profile also lists her as the general counsel of the conservative political group Fix California and as former outside counsel for the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation. According to her statement to the Daily Mail, she practiced with "all the appropriate credentials."
Previous statements, including one from Trump announcing her hiring, referred to Zacharia as an "attorney." The controversy centers on her use of the title "attorney" or "lawyer" when she has not passed a U.S. bar examination, which is a prerequisite for practicing law in the United States.