Trump spokeswoman admits failing bar exam特朗普发言人承认律师资格考试不及格
WASHINGTON, Oct 16 — New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia acknowledged today that she had failed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practicing law in the United States,...
New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia admitted she failed the bar exam, required for practising law in the US, amid scrutiny of her legal credentials.
Zacharia confirmed she never retook the bar exam, as she moved to China and did not intend to practice law, despite identifying herself as a lawyer.
The Campaign for Accountability urged the California Bar Association to investigate Zacharia for possibly unlawful self-identification as a lawyer.
WASHINGTON, Oct 16 — New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia acknowledged today that she had failed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practicing law in the United States, as her credentials face scrutiny.
Zacharia has described herself as a lawyer during television appearances and on social media, and listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit.
But the legal credentials of the press secretary, who President Donald Trump appointed last week, were called into question after she gave an inconclusive answer about where she had passed the bar exam.
The 41-year-old graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011, but obtaining a law degree does not automatically qualify someone to practice law.
In a Fox News interview on Thursday, host Sean Hannity asked Zacharia: “You took the bar exam, but you didn’t pass the bar exam, correct?”
“Yes,” she responded.
In a separate interview with conservative media outlet Real America’s Voice on Thursday, Zacharia said she had registered to take the bar exam but was “distracted and overwhelmed” by plans to move to China with her husband.
“The results are somewhat inconsequential because I knew I wouldn’t need the bar in China,” she said.
Foreign nationals cannot sit China’s bar exam, although they can undertake certain legal work at Chinese law firms.
Hannity later asked Zacharia if she had ever taken the bar exam a second time, to which she said: “I did not.”
“I had four kids in six years,” she said. “It was never my intent to go into the practice of law.”
Zacharia said on Real America’s Voice that “many people in the field” had assured her that she could “label myself a lawyer,” given her law degree and experience in business law gained in China, where she worked at a Beijing law firm.
She added that she could “provide legal analysis, not legal advice.”
“I was very careful how I executed this.”
The Campaign for Accountability, a political ethics organization, called on Wednesday for the California Bar Association to launch an investigation.
“In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn’t puffery; it’s a crime,” the organization said in a press release.
Zacharia held her first White House press briefing on Tuesday with an unusually short press conference, answering questions from only three journalists.
She succeeded Karoline Leavitt, a loyal Trump supporter and often combative press secretary, who stepped down in August to care for her young children. — AFP
Missiles, drones and smuggled weapons: How the Houthis keep striking back
France braces for cost-of-living protests ahead of election
Anthropic co-founder renews call for robust regulation of frontier AI
Zahid says Malaysia ready to help Indonesia fight forest fires after Prabowo accepts foreign aid
Perlis MACC recovers nearly RM700,000 through forfeitures since 2024
El Niño could hit fishermen, fish farms as temperatures soar to 40°C, says Mat Sabu
新任白宫新闻秘书凯蒂·扎卡里亚承认，她未能通过在美国执业所需的律师资格考试，此前她的法律资质受到了审查。
扎卡里亚证实，她从未重新参加律师资格考试，因为她搬到了中国，虽然自称是律师，但她并不打算从事法律工作。
问责运动组织敦促加州律师协会调查扎卡里亚是否非法自称律师。
华盛顿，10 月 16 日——新任白宫新闻秘书凯蒂·扎卡里亚今天承认，她未能通过律师资格考试，这是在美国执业的先决条件，她的资历正面临审查。
扎卡里亚在电视节目和社交媒体上都自称是律师，并把自己列为一家总部位于加利福尼亚州的保守派非营利组织的法律总顾问。
但特朗普总统上周任命的新闻秘书的法律资格受到了质疑，因为她对在哪里通过了律师资格考试给出了模棱两可的回答。
这位 41 岁的男子于 2011 年毕业于佩珀代因大学法学院，但获得法学学位并不意味着自动具备执业资格。
周四，福克斯新闻主持人肖恩·汉尼提在采访扎卡里亚时问他：“你参加了律师资格考试，但是你没有通过，对吗？”
“是的，”她回答道。
扎卡里亚周四在接受保守派媒体“真正的美国之声”的另一次采访时表示，她已经报名参加律师资格考试，但由于计划和丈夫一起移居中国，她“分心且不知所措”。
“结果多少无关紧要，因为我知道我在中国不需要这个资格证，”她说。
外国公民不能参加中国的律师资格考试，但可以在中国律师事务所从事某些法律工作。
汉尼提后来问扎卡里亚是否参加过第二次律师资格考试，扎卡里亚回答说：“我没有。”
“六年里我生了四个孩子，”她说。“我从来没想过要从事法律工作。”
扎卡里亚在“真正的美国之声”节目中表示，“该领域的许多人”向她保证，鉴于她拥有法学学位，并且在中国（她曾在北京一家律师事务所工作）积累了商业法方面的经验，她可以“称自己为律师”。
她补充说，她可以“提供法律分析，但不能提供法律建议”。
“我执行这件事的时候非常谨慎。”
政治道德组织“问责运动”周三呼吁加州律师协会展开调查。
“在加利福尼亚州，没有执照就自称律师不是吹嘘，而是犯罪，”该组织在一份新闻稿中表示。
扎卡里亚周二举行了她在白宫的首次新闻发布会，但发布会异常简短，只回答了三名记者的提问。
她接替了卡罗琳·莱维特（Karoline Leavitt）的职位，莱维特是特朗普的忠实支持者，也是一位经常与特朗普针锋相对的新闻秘书，她于8月辞职照顾年幼的孩子。——法新社
导弹、无人机和走私武器：胡塞武装如何持续反击
法国大选前夕严阵以待，应对可能爆发的生活成本抗议活动。
人类学研究所联合创始人再次呼吁对前沿人工智能进行强有力的监管
扎希德表示，在普拉博沃接受外国援助后，马来西亚准备帮助印尼扑灭森林火灾。
自2024年以来，玻璃市反贪污委员会通过没收财产追回了近70万令吉。
马特·萨布表示，厄尔尼诺现象可能导致气温飙升至40摄氏度，对渔民和养鱼场造成冲击。