Questions swirl about new White House press secretary's resume - BERITAJA
NEW YORK — The caller White House property caput is facing mounting questions about her inheritance and resume arsenic she transitions into her domiciled arsenic the nationalist look of the Trump administration.
Katie Zacharia has agelong described herself arsenic a lawyer arsenic she has worked to found herself arsenic a commentator for blimpish outlets specified arsenic Fox News and Newsmax. But truthful far, she and the White House person offered nary grounds that she passed the barroom exam successful immoderate authorities aliases successful China, wherever she worked for a ample rule patient years ago.
The questions adhd to the disorder surrounding President Trump’s determination to prosecute Zacharia, who had worked for his societal media institution for only a fewer months erstwhile he announced her assignment and whose debut astatine the podium connected Tuesday has been wide panned.
Afterward, the president was asked by reporters wherever Zacharia had passed the barroom exam, pursuing a study by the independent outlet Popular Information that she did not look to beryllium licensed successful immoderate state.
Trump stepped speech to let Zacharia to answer.
“When I moved to China,” she responded complete the sound of Marine One whirring successful the background. It is unclear what she had intended to opportunity aliases whether she had vanished the sentence.
China’s notoriously difficult National Unified Legal Professional Qualification Examination could beryllium taken only by Chinese citizens.
Asked what credentials she held, the White House passed on a connection from Zacharia, who received a bachelor of arts grade from Pepperdine University successful 2007 and received her rule grade from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law successful 2011, according to the school and her LinkedIn bio.
“I practiced world transaction law, pinch each the due credentials,” it read.
Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, added that Zacharia was “uniquely qualified and whip smart to thief pass the American group about each the awesome things President Trump and his Administration person been doing, and she will do an unthinkable occupation arsenic property secretary.”
A resume nether scrutiny
According to her LinkedIn profile, Zacharia has been the elder communications advisor astatine the Trump Media & Technology Group since June and spent 2 months arsenic lawman adjunct caput for nationalist affairs astatine the Department of Homeland Security this year.
From 2011 to 2013, it says, she served arsenic an subordinate connected the International Practice Team astatine the Zhong Lun Law Firm successful Beijing. She besides worked arsenic the head of fundraising and communications for Compassion for Migrant Children, which assists the children of migrant workers, from 2012 to 2013.
More recently, it says she served arsenic wide counsel for Fix California, a group started by Trump management charismatic Richard Grenell.
Neither the patient nor the 2 groups responded to questions about her tenure and background.
Zacharia has agelong called herself a lawyer. On Instagram, she describes herself arsenic the White House property secretary, “Wife, Mom, & Lawyer” (with 3 bosom emojis aft “Mom”).
And her official writer page astatine the California Globe, wherever she wrote occasional commentary, says that, successful summation to being a “regular commentator connected Fox News, Newsmax,” she has “extensive acquisition successful governmental advocacy, world firm law, and non-profit work, including clip arsenic extracurricular counsel for the World Bank and IFC successful Beijing.”
A June 2026 news release from NovaRed Mining Inc. announcing her assignment to the company’s advisory board, which was first reported by Popular Information, said her “professional acquisition includes activity related to world ineligible and financial transactions, including matters involving organizations associated pinch the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation during her tenure pinch Zhong Lun Law Firm successful Beijing.”
In announcing her prosecute on his societal media site, Trump described Zacharia arsenic “a distinguished Graduate of Pepperdine University, and the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, an attorney, and a predominant Commentator connected outlets, including Fox News and Newsmax.”
“She has an unblemished grounds of support, and has been a loyal and superb supporter, correct from the beginning. She is, likewise, a devoted instrumentality and personnel of MAGA!” he added.
‘No record’ found
Zacharia is not listed arsenic a personnel of the authorities barroom successful California, wherever she presently resides, according to a nationalist database.
Rick Coca, a spokesperson for the State Bar of California, a regulatory agency that oversees authorities licensing, said successful a connection that it has “no grounds of Kate Sharon Zacharia aliases Kate Sharon Black” aliases immoderate type of her joined aliases maiden names “having been licensed to believe rule successful California.”
Popular Information said the aforesaid was the lawsuit successful each 50 states it had queried, positive Washington.
In response, the watchdog group Campaign for Accountability filed a title Wednesday pinch the State Bar of California asking it to analyse whether Zacharia misrepresented herself arsenic a lawyer successful usurpation of California law.
“In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a licence isn’t puffery; it’s a crime. The State Bar should analyse whether Ms. Zacharia has misled the nationalist about her credentials and clasp her accountable if she has,” said the watchdog group’s executive director, Michelle Kuppersmith, successful a statement.
The State Bar said it could not corroborate whether the agency had received the title aliases was conducting an investigation, citing confidentiality laws.
Colvin writes for the Associated Press.
