ET Intelligence (Special Correspondent, 16th) The newly appointed White House spokesperson of the United States, Katie Zacharia, has sparked multiple controversies just days after taking office. She claimed to have obtained her legal qualification while residing in China years ago, but her credentials have been questioned for possible fraud. On Thursday (15th), during an interview, she stated, 'How can China be the next rising nation when it doesn't even have decent toilets?' Her remarks have sparked further controversy.
Zacharia officially assumed the role of White House spokesperson on Monday (12th), replacing Leavitt who resigned. However, the very next day she caused an embarrassing incident by mistakenly referring to her husband as the president during her first White House press conference.
On the same day, when asked by a reporter in which U.S. state she passed the bar exam, she replied, 'When I was living in China,' raising public skepticism about her legal qualifications, as China's bar examination is restricted to Chinese citizens only. Zacharia has consistently referred to herself as a 'lawyer,' while President Trump, when announcing her appointment, referred to her as an 'attorney.'
On Thursday, during an interview to clarify, she claimed that due to the surrounding noise, she misunderstood the reporter's question as 'Where did you go after graduating from law school?' which led to her answering China.
When pressed on whether she actually holds legal qualifications, she admitted that in 2011, due to relocating to China with her husband, she had no intention of taking the bar exam and therefore did not pass it. She also claimed the exam result was 'irrelevant' because she knew she wouldn't need the qualification in China.
Zacharia also said she had consulted many industry professionals who told her, 'You can call yourself a lawyer,' but she never intended to give the impression that she was a practicing attorney. (yc)
Zacharia officially assumed the role of White House spokesperson on Monday (12th), replacing Leavitt who resigned. However, the very next day she caused an embarrassing incident by mistakenly referring to her husband as the president during her first White House press conference.
On the same day, when asked by a reporter in which U.S. state she passed the bar exam, she replied, 'When I was living in China,' raising public skepticism about her legal qualifications, as China's bar examination is restricted to Chinese citizens only. Zacharia has consistently referred to herself as a 'lawyer,' while President Trump, when announcing her appointment, referred to her as an 'attorney.'
On Thursday, during an interview to clarify, she claimed that due to the surrounding noise, she misunderstood the reporter's question as 'Where did you go after graduating from law school?' which led to her answering China.
When pressed on whether she actually holds legal qualifications, she admitted that in 2011, due to relocating to China with her husband, she had no intention of taking the bar exam and therefore did not pass it. She also claimed the exam result was 'irrelevant' because she knew she wouldn't need the qualification in China.
Zacharia also said she had consulted many industry professionals who told her, 'You can call yourself a lawyer,' but she never intended to give the impression that she was a practicing attorney. (yc)
