{
  "id": 14857612,
  "title": "Trump's new press secretary defends 'lawyer' title",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-defends-lawyer-title-14857612",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T03:02:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2026/10/1556639/trumps-new-press-secretary-defends-lawyer-title"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Washington: Katie Zacharia, Donald Trump's latest White House press secretary, faced scrutiny over her legal status on Thursday. Despite her portrayal as a lawyer in media appearances and on social media, there is no evidence to suggest she has ever passed the bar exam, which is required to practice law in the United States. Appointed by Trump in August, Zacharia had described herself as a general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit. However, she claimed she had registered to take the bar exam but was distracted by moving to China with her husband. Upon returning to the U.S. after giving birth to her first child, Zacharia worked as a lawyer at a major Chinese law firm and argued she could legally label herself a lawyer due to her law degree and experience. The Campaign for Accountability, a political ethics group, called for a California Bar Association investigation, stating that referring to oneself as a lawyer without a license is a crime in California. Zacharia made her first White House press appearance on Tuesday, replacing Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down to care for her young children.",
  "summary": "WASHINGTON: New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, under scrutiny over her legal credentials, seemed to acknowledge Thursday that she had failed the bar exam, but argued she was accurate in presenting herself as a lawyer.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 10,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "Zacharia 'tracked every news hit' to capture Trump's attention in press secretary search",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/zacharia-tracked-every-news-hit-to-capture-trumps-attention-in-press",
        "published": "2026-10-15T19:26:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia defends her legal background and short first briefing",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/new-white-house-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-defends-her-legal",
        "published": "2026-10-15T19:40:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Global News",
        "title": "Trump press secretary Katie Zacharia’s law background called into question",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/trump-press-secretary-katie-zacharias-law-background-called-into",
        "published": "2026-10-15T20:18:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Japan Today",
        "title": "New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia defends her legal background and short first briefing",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/new-white-house-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-defends-her-legal-14796049",
        "published": "2026-10-15T21:39:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Trump press secretary Katie Zacharia never passed bar exam, wrongly claims China has none",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/trump-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-never-passed-bar-exam-wrongly",
        "published": "2026-10-15T21:52:59.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian US",
        "title": "Trump’s new press secretary says it’s ‘unknown’ how much she’ll deal with media",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/trumps-new-press-secretary-says-its-unknown-how-much-shell-deal-with",
        "published": "2026-10-15T22:58:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Trump’s new press secretary defends ‘lawyer’ title",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-defends-lawyer-title",
        "published": "2026-10-16T00:18:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Trump’s new press secretary appears to acknowledge failing Bar exam amid scrutiny over lawyer claims",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-appears-to-acknowledge-failing-bar-exam",
        "published": "2026-10-16T01:02:58.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun",
        "title": "New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Defends Her Legal Background and Short First Briefing",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/new-white-house-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-defends-her-legal",
        "published": "2026-10-16T01:24:13.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}