WASHINGTON – New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia has long described herself as a lawyer, but she does not have a law license after failing the California bar exam, according to a source familiar with her background.
Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011 and took the bar exam that year, the person said, before moving to China with her husband. She worked for a Chinese law firm’s international-practice team on multimillion-dollar shareholder agreements involving investments through the World Bank, according to the source. Zacharia did not attempt to take the bar exam a second time.
President Donald Trump announced Zacharia’s appointment on Oct. 9 in a social media post that described her as an “attorney” and
noted her background as a conservative commentator on television, where she's appeared regularly on Fox News and Newsmax. Zacharia has said she’s a lawyer in television appearances and in a previous version of her X bio.
Zacharia, 41, told the New York Times that before she began making television appearances, she consulted with Pepperdine’s president about how she could identify herself, and was told not to identify as an attorney or use “esquire” but that she could call herself a lawyer.
She also consulted with other attorneys who agreed she could describe herself as a lawyer because she has a law degree, according to the source, who noted that she was providing legal analysis on television, not advice.
Zacharia’s LinkedIn bio says she also worked as general counsel for the conservative group Fix California from 2024 to 2025. Despite the title, the job was a senior advisory position that did not involve developing legal strategies or giving advice, the source said.
Zacharia, in a statement provided to USA TODAY by the White House, said: “I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials."
While having a law degree isn't a requirement for her work as press secretary, Zacharia has faced questions about whether she misrepresented herself and potentially violated the law.
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.” The complaint also asks the California Bar to determine whether Zacharia’s work for Fix California violated the law.
“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.”
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded to the complaint in a social media post slamming Campaign for Accountability.
“This group that filed the ‘complaint’ is a radical leftist-organization run by rabid numbskulls suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Cheung said. “Nobody takes them seriously because they are deranged low lifes.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported that Zacharia failed the California bar exam and does not have a law license.
Zacharia started the press secretary job this week, which included a rocky first White House press briefing with reporters that was widely mocked by Trump's critics.
The briefing lasted just 14 minutes, with most of it consisting of prepared remarks read from a binder. She answered only three questions, appearing uncomfortable at times. She was unable to answer a follow-up question on Ukraine and committed a verbal blunder, referring to the president when she meant to say her husband.
Questions about Zacharia's legal background added to the scrutiny as she faced questions about her credentials Oct. 13 during her first appearance with Trump shortly after her debut briefing.
Asked Oct. 13 as she departed the White House with Trump about where she passed the bar exam, Zacharia appeared to say “when I moved to China.” She later told the New York Times that she had trouble hearing the question over the sound of Marine One, the presidential helicopter.
“I assumed the question was, ‘Where were you after law school?’” Zacharia said.
Trump and White House officials have publicly rallied behind Zacharia amid her bumpy start. Trump praised Zacharia as he departed the White House on Oct. 13 on a trip to Alaska.
“I thought she was very good,” he said.
Cheung, in a statement, called Zacharia "a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team."
"She is uniquely qualified and whip smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his Administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as Press Secretary," Cheung said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White House press secretary Katie Zacharia failed bar exam
