Questions Swirl About New White House Press Secretary's Resume

The new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, is facing serious questions about her background. For years, she has called herself a lawyer. But no state in the U.S. appears to have any record that she passed the bar exam, which is the test lawyers must take to practice law. The White House has not shown any proof that she passed this test anywhere in the United States or in China.

Zacharia was chosen by President Donald Trump to speak for his administration to the public. She had only worked for his social media company for a few months before he picked her. Her first press briefing on Tuesday was widely panned, meaning many people said it did not go well. The questions about her background have added to the confusion around Trump's decision to hire her.

After the briefing, reporters asked Trump where Zacharia had passed the bar exam. He stepped aside so she could answer. She said, 'When I moved to China,' but it was not clear what she meant or if she had finished her thought. China's bar exam is one of the hardest in the world, and only Chinese citizens are allowed to take it.

The White House shared a statement from Zacharia saying she 'practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials.' She earned a law degree from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2011. However, earning a law degree is different from being licensed to practice law. A license requires passing the bar exam.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Zacharia worked at a law firm in Beijing, China, from 2011 to 2013. She also did work for a group that helps children of migrant workers and later held a top legal role for a California political group. None of these organizations answered questions about her work. On Instagram, she still describes herself as a 'Lawyer.'

A public database shows Zacharia is not listed as a licensed attorney in California, where she lives. The State Bar of California said they have 'no record' of her being licensed under any version of her name. Popular Information, an independent news outlet, checked all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and found the same result. No record of her law license was found anywhere.

A watchdog group called Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint asking California to investigate. They want to know if Zacharia broke the law by calling herself a lawyer without a license. Their leader said that in California, claiming to be a lawyer without a license 'isn't puffery; it's a crime.' The State Bar said it could not confirm the complaint due to privacy rules.