For Katie Zacharia, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
The new White House press secretary, who's been facing scrutiny for her shaky early performance, addressed the criticism in a recent interview on "Human Events Daily with Jack Posobiec," released Thursday, Oct. 15.
Zacharia, whom President Donald Trump appointed Oct. 9, started the high-profile communications gig earlier this week, which included a rocky debut press briefing with reporters widely mocked by Trump's critics.
The briefing lasted just 14 minutes, mostly consisting of prepared remarks read from a binder. Zacharia answered only three questions and at times appeared uncomfortable. She was unable to answer a follow-up question on Ukraine and made a verbal blunder, referring
to the president when she meant to say her husband.
Katie Zacharia hopes this A-list actress portrays her on 'SNL'
Despite her controversial introduction to the national spotlight, Zacharia laughed off her struggles when she was asked which actor she would want to portray her on "Saturday Night Live." The NBC sketch comedy series frequently parodies the Trump administration, with James Austin Johnson's Trump impersonations among the fan favorites.
"I know it’s coming, yes. Maybe a Scarlett Johansson-type character," Zacharia told host Posobiec.
Johansson, who's married to longtime "SNL" cast member Colin Jost, has appeared on the show several times. In 2017, the Oscar-nominated actress parodied President Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, a role she reprised across several times in the following years.
But Zacharia also made clear that she wouldn't be tuning in if "SNL" tackled her White House role, adding that she's "not watching anything right now, except what [Trump] is doing."
"I do not want to see any of the other X or Instagram or TV right now," Zacharia concluded.
Zacharia has also faced increasing scrutiny over her legal credentials.
Katie Zacharia explains bar exam results, legal credentials
The press secretary, a graduate of Pepperdine University's law school, has said she's a lawyer in television appearances and in a previous version of her X bio. President Trump also described her as an "attorney" when he announced her appointment in an Oct. 9 Truth Social post.
However, in a new interview with USA TODAY, Zacharia acknowledged that she never passed the bar exam and is not licensed to practice law.
She said she took the bar exam after graduating in 2011 and didn't pass, then moved to China with her husband, Tyler. The press secretary said she worked on multimillion-dollar shareholder agreements for investments on a Chinese law firm's international-practice team.
"The results of the bar exam were inconsequential because I was already moving to a foreign country that didn't require it," Zacharia said. She added that she also consulted with other attorneys and legal professionals, who agreed she could describe herself as a lawyer because she has a law degree, noting that she was providing legal analysis on television, not advice.
Campaign for Accountability, a watchdog group, filed a complaint against Zacharia with the State Bar of California on Oct. 14, calling for an investigation into whether she broke California law "by repeatedly holding herself out as a lawyer."
"Ms. Zacharia has represented herself as a lawyer repeatedly to buttress her reputation and credibility as a television legal commentator and now as the White House spokesperson, yet it seems it was all a lie," Campaign for Accountability Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith said in a statement. "In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn't puffery; it's a crime."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WH Press Secretary Katie Zacharia reveals who she wants to play her on 'SNL'
