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At a glance
The White House is defending its new press secretary Katie Zacharia amid questions about her legal credentials, as she does not appear to be registered to the legal bar in any state where she has lived.
What the briefing reports
Katie Zacharia, the new White House press secretary, is facing scrutiny over her claims of being a lawyer, with critics questioning whether she was ever licensed. According to reports, Zacharia graduated from law school at Pepperdine University in California in 2011, but did not pass the bar exam in the state. She also worked as an associate at a law firm in Beijing, but only Chinese citizens are eligible to obtain a license to practice law in China.
Zacharia has repeatedly claimed to be a lawyer, but a complaint was filed with the State Bar of California over her claims, as calling herself a lawyer without a license is a crime in California. The White House has defended Zacharia, but the controversy surrounding her law credentials is likely to continue, with her term as press secretary having just begun.
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how the White House will address the concerns over Zacharia's qualifications, and what implications this may have for her role as press secretary. The scrutiny over Zacharia's law credentials has already led to a complaint being filed, and it is unclear how this will affect her ability to perform her duties as press secretary.
Cited sources
Updates and corrections
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