Questions Mount Over Katie Zacharia’s Legal Credentials

Katie Zacharia, who became White House press secretary under President Donald Trump on Tuesday, is facing scrutiny over repeated claims that she is a lawyer. On Wednesday, the Campaign for Accountability, a public accountability nonprofit, filed a complaint with the State Bar of California asking it to investigate whether Zacharia misrepresented her legal credentials. The group’s executive director, Michelle Kuppersmith, said Zacharia had used the lawyer description to support her credibility as a television legal commentator and White House spokesperson. California law makes it a crime to call oneself a lawyer without a licence, the complaint said. Zacharia’s LinkedIn profile says she earned a degree from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2011 and lists work as an associate at Beijing’s Zhong Lun Law Firm from 2011 to 2013, and as general counsel at voter rights group Fix California from 2024 to 2025. A biography for Trumpettes USA Inc says she served as outside counsel for the World Bank and International Finance Corporation in Beijing. Her Instagram profile describes her as a “Wife, Mom, & Lawyer”. However, media reports have not found her licensed to practise law in any US state. At a news briefing on her first day, Zacharia spoke haltingly, repeated herself at times, and spent much of the brief appearance thanking Trump and reading a prepared statement. Asked where she had passed the bar exam, she replied, “When I moved to China,” apparently referring to her claimed work at a Beijing law firm. The article notes that China’s legal qualification examination is generally limited to Chinese citizens, though foreigners have occasionally been permitted to practise after gaining several years of experience in their home countries. It says that exception does not appear to fit Zacharia’s circumstances. In a statement to The Associated Press, Zacharia said she practises international transaction law and has “all the appropriate credentials.” She has also worked as a communications adviser at the Department of Homeland Security and, since June, as senior communications adviser at Trump Media and Technology Group, the owner of Truth Social.

The White House is defending new press secretary Katie Zacharia amid questions about whether she is entitled to describe herself as a lawyer or attorney. President Donald Trump called her an attorney when announcing her appointment, and Zacharia has also used the term lawyer. Asked by a reporter which state’s bar exam she had passed, she replied, “When I moved to China.” The article says she does not appear to be registered with the bar in any state where she has lived. White House communications director Steven Cheung called her “uniquely qualified and whip smart,” while Zacharia said she practised international transaction law “with all the appropriate credentials.” Campaign for Accountability has filed a complaint with the California State Bar Association, asking it to investigate whether Zacharia repeatedly presented herself as authorised to practise law without a licence—a practice California treats as a crime. Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011, but a law degree alone does not grant a licence to practise law in the United States. She told The New York Times that Pepperdine’s president advised her she could call herself a lawyer, but not an attorney. The Wall Street Journal reported that she took, but did not pass, California’s bar exam. After moving to Beijing with her future husband, who worked for an American private equity firm, Zacharia said she worked in international transaction law. Her LinkedIn profile lists her as an associate at Beijing’s Zhong Lun Law Firm from 2011 to 2013. The article notes that only Chinese citizens can obtain a Chinese licence to practise law, although foreign employees can work at law firms in other roles. Zacharia has also said she served as outside counsel for the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank while in China. The BBC sought comment from both institutions; it notes that the World Bank Group sometimes retains outside law firms, which assign lawyers to particular work. Her profile also lists her as general counsel for Fix California, a conservative nonprofit founded by Trump ally Ric Grenell.

The article reports growing questions about White House press secretary Katie Zacharia’s professional background, particularly her repeated claims to be a lawyer. Although she has described herself as a lawyer in public profiles and commentary, the White House has not provided evidence that she passed a bar exam or holds a law licence in any U.S. state. Zacharia’s response to a reporter’s question about where she passed the exam was unclear; she began, “When I moved to China,” but did not complete an intelligible answer over the noise of Marine One. The White House says Zacharia earned undergraduate and law degrees from Pepperdine University and describes her as qualified for the press secretary role. Her LinkedIn profile lists work at the Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing, a migrant-children organization, Trump Media & Technology Group, the Department of Homeland Security, and as general counsel for Fix California. Other public biographies describe her experience in international law and refer to work involving the World Bank and International Finance Corporation. The article notes that the law firm and organizations contacted did not respond to questions about her employment and background. California’s State Bar says it has no record of Zacharia, including under identified maiden or married names, being licensed in the state. The independent outlet Popular Information reported that its checks found no listing for her in any of the 50 states or Washington, D.C. The watchdog group Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the California State Bar, asking it to investigate whether Zacharia misrepresented her credentials. The State Bar did not confirm whether it had received the complaint or opened an investigation, citing confidentiality laws. The questions come as Zacharia begins her new job after a brief tenure at Trump’s media company and a widely criticized first press briefing.