White House Press Sec Zacharia faces scrutiny over legal credentials

Media investigation puts new White House Press Secretary

Katie Zacharia's legal credentials under the spotlight just

a day into her role as the public face of the Trump administration.

Katie Zacharia had a particularly rough first day on the job as

the new White House Press Secretary.

Between the stutter and accidentally referring to her

husband as "the president," her inaugural turn at the podium

planted doubts as to whether

she has what it takes to excel in the very public role.

But the real grilling from the press came not in the briefing room,

but near the White House lawn when she was hit with questions about

her resume-- specifically her legal credentials.

In her appointment announcement, US President Donald Trump

described the former senior communications adviser

at the Trump Media & Technology Group and

deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the

Department of Homeland Security as

"a distinguished Graduate of Pepperdine University,

and the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, an attorney, and a frequent

Commentator on outlets, including Fox News and Newsmax."

A report by the independent outlet Popular Information, however, found she

is not listed as a member of the state bar in California, where she

currently resides, or in any other state.

The Wall Street Journal in its report said Zacharia sat for the bar in 2011 after

she graduated law school but did not pass.

The questions added to the confusion surrounding

President Donald Trump's decision to hire Zacharia,

though he gave her a stellar first day performance review.

I think she did excellent. I thought she was very good.

Trump, however, dodged question about whether she had actually sat the bar,

instead, deferring to the former Truth Social employee, who said she did so when she “moved to China.”

There is also no record of Zacharia taking the bar in China,

where she worked from 2011 to 2013 as an associate on

the International Practice Team at the Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing.

China's National Unified Legal Professional Qualification

Examination can only be taken by Chinese citizens.

The firm did not respond to questions about her tenure and background.

Neither Zacharia nor the White House have offered evidence as to whether

she passed the bar exam.

Instead, the White House passed along a statement from Zacharia,

reiterating her academic credentials, which matched the records

of Pepperdine University.

"I practiced international transaction law, with all the

appropriate credentials," the statement read.

The watchdog group Campaign for Accountability filed

a complaint Wednesday with the State Bar of California,

asking them to investigate whether Zacharia misrepresented

herself as a lawyer in violation of California law, though the

State Bar did not confirm receiving the request.