Donald Trump’s new White House press secretary says it is “unknown” how much she will engage with the press, or hold briefings with reporters, as she faces mounting questions over her legal credentials.
asserted
she → say → credentials
In a brief interview with the Guardian on Thursday, Katie Zacharia detailed the whirlwind sprint to replace her predecessor Karoline Leavitt as the US president’s chief spokesperson.
asserted
Zacharia → detail → spokesperson
Just six days after receiving a call from the White House, Zacharia stepped behind the podium for her first briefing as press secretary, in a debut that has been widely panned.
asserted
that → receive → debut
Last Wednesday, 7 October, a White House official called Zacharia and asked her to travel from Los Angeles, where she lives with her family, to Washington for a meeting.
asserted
she → call → meeting
(She declined to specify who made the call.)
asserted
who → decline → call
Zacharia made the trip the following day, before meeting officials on Pennsylvania Avenue on Friday.
asserted
Zacharia → make → Friday
She was offered the job later that day – and accepted.
asserted
She → offer → job
“I flew home, packed two bags, said hi to my kids and husband and dogs,” Zacharia told the Guardian, before returning to Washington on Sunday ahead of her first day on Monday.
asserted
Zacharia → fly → Monday
But her first briefing, which Zacharia said she was “asked to do” on her second day in the job, was criticized as lackluster.
asserted
she → say → job
And she has since faced intense scrutiny over her claimed legal qualifications.
asserted
she → face → qualifications
After her debut briefing on Tuesday, reporters asked Zacharia to name the state where she passed the bar exam.
asserted
she → ask → exam
“When I moved to China,” she replied.
asserted
she → move → China
She later told the New York Times she had “misheard” the question over the sound of Marine One on the South Lawn and thought the reporter had asked “where were you after law school”.
asserted
you → tell → school
However, she did not confirm to the Times whether she had passed the bar exam.
asserted
she → confirm → exam
According to her LinkedIn profile, after graduating from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011, Zacharia was an “associate” at the Beijing law firm Zhong Lun from 2011 to 2013.
uncertain
Zacharia → accord → 2013
This week, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the matter, that Zacharia failed the California bar exam after graduating from law school.
asserted
Zacharia → report → school
The State Bar of California told the Guardian it had no record of Zacharia being licensed in the state under either her married name or her maiden name, Katie Black.
asserted
Zacharia → tell → name
While Trump has referred to Zacharia as an “attorney”, that title is reserved for those licensed to practice law.
asserted
title → refer → law
In a different interview with the conservative outlet Human Events on Thursday, Zacharia acknowledged to the rightwing influencer Jack Posobiec that she didn’t pass the California bar.
asserted
she → acknowledge → bar
At the time, she said she was “distracted and overwhelmed and excited” to join her new husband in China, where he was working, after being in a long-distance relationship for more than a year.
asserted
he → say → year
A person familiar with the matter said Zacharia “stands by” referring to herself as a lawyer, and that she considered the designation a “valid title”, given her law degree and “international transactional law experience”.
asserted
designation → say → degree
She did so after “consulting with other legal professionals and attorneys” about whether it was an appropriate designation, the source claimed, adding that Zacharia had “never given legal advice”; just “legal analysis”.
asserted
Zacharia → do → advice
However, many legal experts note that “lawyer” and “attorney” are often used interchangeably.
asserted
lawyer → note → ?
On Wednesday, the Campaign for Accountability, a non-profit watchdog organization, asked the State Bar of California to investigate whether Zacharia misled the public, and potentially violated state law, by describing herself as a lawyer.
asserted
Zacharia → ask → lawyer
Wired reported on Thursday that during that period she worked as an “affiliate marketer” for Beachbody, a multi-level marketing company she described to the outlet as “sort of a pyramid scheme”.
asserted
she → report → scheme
She later claims to have served as “general counsel” for Fix California, a conservative group founded by Ric Grenell, a longtime Trump ally and the special presidential envoy for special missions.
uncertain
She → claim → missions
The Guardian has approached both Zhong Lun and Fix California seeking additional details about Zacharia’s legal roles at the organizations.
asserted
Guardian → approach → organizations
Zacharia also said she “did not want to be seen lobbying” for the press secretary role, in her interview with the conservative outlet Human Events.
asserted
she → say → outlet
Instead, she said she closely monitored the president’s social media posts before appearing on conservative talkshows to “audition” for the job.
asserted
she → say → job
When Trump announced that Zacharia had been tapped for the post, he described her as a “devoted fan of Maga” who has “an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning”.
asserted
who → announce → beginning
Asked by the Guardian what reasons the White House gave for offering her the position, Zacharia – who previously served as an adviser to Trump Media Group, which owns the president’s Truth Social platform, and had a brief stint as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security – declined to comment.
asserted
which → ask → Security
Now the White House press secretary, she also would not clarify on Thursday how often she intended to brief the press.
asserted
she → clarify → press
She said that was “unknown at this time” and that Trump “is his best spokesperson, and I will interact as needed”.
asserted
I → say → time
“I follow the president’s lead,” Zacharia added.
asserted
Zacharia → follow → lead
The Aporia
