New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia defends her legal background and first briefing amid criticism
New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia on Thursday defended her legal background and justified her truncated inaugural briefing as she navigates a rocky first week as the president’s chief spokeswoman. Zacharia sat down for an interview with conservative media. She told the conservative Human Events outlet that she did not have time to get fully prepared ahead of her first briefing on…
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia defended her legal background and the brevity of her first briefing on Thursday, as she faced criticism over her lack of preparation. In an interview with conservative media, Zacharia explained that she had been up since 3 a.m. preparing for her briefing, which she completed just two hours before she appeared before the White House press corps.
She stated that she had not had a full briefing and tried to defer to President Donald Trump, who would field questions from journalists later that morning. Zacharia also addressed her legal background, saying that she had been preparing to take the bar exam in California at the time she had decided to move to China to join her husband's private equity firm.
She said the bar exam results were "inconsequential" since she would not need to be a licensed attorney while living in China. Zacharia clarified that she is not a licensed attorney, despite calling herself one, and consulted legal experts to ensure her title was accurate. She emphasized that she did not lobby for the job and will not weigh in on legal matters in her White House role.
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