Donald Trump announced the appointment of Katie Zacharia as the new White House press secretary on Friday. Zacharia replaces Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down from the role in August.
On Tuesday, Zacharia delivered a 14-minute briefing and answered questions from three news organisations during her first appearance. Trump stated, "I thought she was very good."
Zacharia graduated from the Pepperdine University law school in 2011 and previously worked for a law firm in Beijing. The State Bar of California confirmed it has no record of Zacharia holding a license under her maiden or married name.
Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the State Bar of California regarding these credentials. Michelle Kuppersmith stated, "Ms Zacharia has represented herself as a lawyer repeatedly to buttress her reputation and credibility."
Kuppersmith added, "The State Bar should investigate whether Ms Zacharia has misled the public about her credentials." Zacharia claimed, "I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials."
When asked where she passed the bar exam, Zacharia replied, "When I moved to China". Jen Psaki compared the performance of Zacharia to a "Saturday Night Live" comedy sketch.
