Tea Party Nation founder and former prosecutor Judson Phillips said the White House failed to properly vet press secretary Katie Zacharia after she acknowledged she never passed a state bar exam, arguing that the controversy has undermined her credibility and could become a lasting problem for President Donald Trump’s administration.
During an appearance Thursday on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Phillips said Zacharia’s claims about her legal background raise questions about whether she was qualified to describe herself as a lawyer and whether she performed work requiring a law license.
“You can call yourself a lawyer if you are not licensed anywhere. That’s fine. What’s somebody going to do about it? They can’t,” Phillips said. “Now, but here’s where the distinction is. If you start performing services or accept employment that involves the practice of law, giving legal advice, et cetera, at that point, you’re crossing a line.”
Zacharia, a graduate of Pepperdine University’s Caruso School of Law, confirmed Thursday that she took the California bar exam in 2011 but did not pass. She has said she worked on international transactions while living in China with her husband, although she has not publicly clarified which credentials authorized that work.
Phillips pointed to reports that Zacharia had described herself as in-house counsel for an organization associated with Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Ric Grenell, arguing that the specific nature of her role could have legal consequences.
“If her position with Grenell’s organization was actually the position of in-house counsel,” Phillips said, “then she did violate the rules.”
Phillips also questioned how the White House failed to identify the issue before appointing Zacharia to one of the administration’s most visible public-facing positions.
“Somebody in the White House really screwed up because if you’re going to appoint somebody to a position in the administration, particularly a very visible public-facing position, you have to have them vetted,” Phillips said. “You’ve got to make sure there aren’t any skeletons in their closet.”
He added that verifying an attorney’s credentials should have been straightforward, noting that the California State Bar maintains a searchable website where the public can check whether someone is licensed.
“This is hiring 101,” Phillips said of the vetting process.
Phillips characterized the controversy as a problem of the administration’s own making.
“On two fronts, this is a self-inflicted injury,” he said. “Number one, it’s a self-inflicted injury for her. … Now, issue number two is for the President, the administration, this is very much a self-inflicted issue that she was not properly vetted.”
Phillips also warned that Zacharia’s credibility problems would leave her vulnerable to the press, saying, “the left-wing journalists … they’re sharks” and “they are going to rip her apart” as she becomes the story instead of communicating the administration’s message.
He argued that the White House should replace Zacharia before the controversy further damages the administration’s ability to communicate its message.
“You can find a lot of people out there who can do that job,” Phillips said, acknowledging that the position requires handling an adversarial press corps. “It is a tough job. I will not argue that.”
He said the administration should find a temporary replacement and remove Zacharia from the position, warning that the controversy could linger into the midterm elections.
“She needs to be gone by the end of this week,” Phillips said.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
