Trump's New Spokesperson Sparks First Controversy: Claims to Be a Lawyer Without Authorization
Reports show the White House's new spokesperson presented themselves as a lawyer, despite having no license to do so.
According to Ambassador Arjan, quoted by NTV, Kathy Zakaria, the new spokesperson of Donald Trump, the head of the American terrorist state, has been criticized for her resume.
Kathy Zakaria was under a lot of pressure shortly after her first appearance in the White House.
According to the investigation of the Washington Post and other American media, Zakaria made false statements in his resume. The 41-year-old is reportedly calling herself a "lawyer," although she is apparently not licensed to practice law in the United States.
The ethical organization "Accountability Campaign" asked the California State Bar Association to start an investigation in this regard.
Zakaria studied law at Pepperdine University and worked as an assistant to a law professor. His resume shows no indication that he is licensed to practice law in the United States. However, according to media reports, this former commentator, Ambassador Arjan, has repeatedly referred to himself as a "lawyer" in television and online programs.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Zakaria worked for a law firm in Beijing between 2011 and 2013.
On Tuesday, a journalist asked Trump in which US state his new spokesman took his bar exam.
Trump's spokesman replied: "When I moved to China." However, it is highly unlikely that he took the test in China. Bar exams in the US are held only in the jurisdictions of each state, and he needed Chinese citizenship to be admitted to the bar association in China.
Zakaria later told The New York Times that because of the sound of the presidential helicopter, he misheard the reporter's question and thought he was being asked where he had been after graduating from law school.
The Guardian's investigation shows that Zakaria's name is not registered in the list of licensed lawyers in 38 US states, as well as Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands, where public information is available.
The Wall Street Journal also reported, quoting an informed person, that after graduating from Pepperdine University Law School in 2011, Zakaria took the California bar exam but failed.
In subsequent statements, Zakaria claimed that he worked in the field of international transaction law and had "all the necessary qualifications".
However, the White House has not specified whether he has passed the bar exam in any US state.
Under California law, misrepresenting yourself as a person entitled to practice law while not being an active member of the state bar can result in penalties including a fine of up to $1,000 and imprisonment for up to a year.
Zakaria made his first appearance in the White House press conference room on Tuesday. He ended the conference after only a few minutes.
He succeeds Carolyn Leavitt, who resigned this summer to spend more time with her family.
Previously, Zakaria worked for Trump Media and Technology, the group behind the president's social media platform Truth. Zakaria, like Leavitt, is a staunch supporter of Trump's MAGA movement.
In the past, he worked as a commentator for conservative media such as Safir Arjan, where he was introduced as a lawyer.
He takes on the White House communications role at a difficult time. According to polls, Trump's Republican Party is facing heavy defeats in the congressional elections in November.