Controversy over White House spokesperson Zacharia’s false credentials grows

[Financial News] As controversy over incoming White House spokesperson Katie Zacharia’s false credentials mounts, a partner at a Chinese law firm said Zacharia’s work experience in China may have been similar to a paid internship.
According to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 16th, suspicions have emerged that spokesperson Zacharia also inflated her work experience at a Chinese law firm, after she admitted she had not passed the U.S. bar exam.
After questions were raised about false claims regarding her credentials, spokesperson Zacharia appeared on a program hosted by conservative commentator Jack Posobiec on the 15th and admitted that she had not passed the bar exam.
However, Zacharia maintained that there was nothing wrong with referring to herself as a lawyer.
She said, “I knew that a law license would not be required in China,” and claimed, “There is no bar exam in China, and a law degree alone was enough to qualify me.”
Spokesperson Zacharia reportedly graduated from Pepperdine University’s Caruso School of Law in 2011 and sat for the California bar exam but failed.

However, Zacharia had previously said she passed the bar exam when she moved to China, and reportedly posted or shared media reports describing her as a lawyer on social media at least 15 times.
SCMP noted that China has a national unified qualification examination and that anyone wishing to practice law in mainland China must pass it.
It also explained that while Chinese law firms can hire foreigners, foreigners cannot obtain Chinese lawyer qualifications or practice local law.
Questions were also raised in particular about spokesperson Zacharia’s work experience at a Chinese law firm.
Gary Gao, a partner at the Shanghai office of Zhong Lun Law Firm, a major Chinese law firm, told the media, “Zhong Lun often hires foreigners for language support and other such work.” He added, “They do not handle Chinese legal work,” and said Zacharia’s work at the time was likely similar to a paid internship.
This differs from Zacharia’s account that she worked in Zhong Lun Law Firm’s international business department and under a senior partner handling shareholder transactions worth millions of dollars.
It has also emerged that spokesperson Zacharia previously made remarks that appeared to disparage China’s level of development.
In a recent interview, Zacharia recalled Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election victory, which came shortly after returning from China, and said, “I wondered how China could become the next global power. They don’t even have proper toilets there.”
The remark could also draw criticism for significantly underestimating China’s level of development.
[email protected] Lee Seok-woo, International Affairs Correspondent Reporter