White House press secretary Katie Zacharia did not pass the California bar exam when she took it after she graduated from law school, according to a senior administration official.
\n\nThe official argued that Zacharia could technically be considered a “lawyer,” though not an attorney. President Donald Trump referred to Zacharia as an “attorney” in his Truth Social post last week announcing he was tapping her as press secretary.
\n\nBut several lawyers told NBC News that “lawyer” is widely understood to refer to someone who has passed the bar exam and is licensed to practice law.
\n\nZacharia’s failure to pass the bar exam was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Zacharia, who has repeatedly referred to herself as a lawyer, faces questions about her legal credentials as the White House has not said whether she passed the bar exam.
\n\nNBC News has not found evidence that she is licensed to practice law in any state. Zacharia, who graduated from Pepperdine Law, has said she practiced law in China. Legal experts told NBC News that only Chinese citizens can sit for the Chinese bar exam. One expert told NBC News that Zacharia could have consulted on cross-border legal issues.
\n\nThe D.C.
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/