White House spokesperson Katie Zacharia’s law career faces scrutiny
Katie Zacharia has repeatedly claimed to be a lawyer, but critics question whether she was ever licensed.
Key points
- A nonprofit filed a complaint with the State Bar of California over Katie Zacharia's claims of being a lawyer.
- Zacharia, the new White House press secretary, has not been found licensed as a lawyer in any US state.
- She said she passed the bar exam in China, but China's exam is only for Chinese citizens.
- The complaint alleges that falsely claiming to be a lawyer is a crime in California.
Katie Zacharia, the new White House press secretary under US President Donald Trump, is facing scrutiny over claims about her legal background. On Wednesday, the Campaign for Accountability, a public accountability nonprofit, filed a complaint with the State Bar of California regarding Zacharia's repeated assertions that she was a lawyer.
The complaint alleges that if such a claim is made falsely, it is a crime in California. Zacharia's LinkedIn profile states she received a degree from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2011, but critics have questioned whether she has a licence to practise law.
What the complaint says
Michelle Kuppersmith, head of the Washington, DC-based Campaign for Accountability, said in a statement that Zacharia represented herself as a lawyer to boost her credibility as a television legal commentator and now as White House spokesperson. "Yet it seems it was all a lie," Kuppersmith said.
Kuppersmith added that in California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license is a crime. She called on the State Bar to investigate whether Zacharia misled the public about her credentials and to hold her accountable if she did.
I practice international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials.
— Katie Zacharia
Zacharia's response and background
Zacharia began her term as White House press secretary on Tuesday. In a briefing that day, she spoke haltingly and briefly, lasting under 15 minutes. Later, when asked where she passed the bar exam, she replied, "When I moved to China."
She claims she worked at a law firm in Beijing for three years. A biography on the Trumpettes USA Inc website says she "served as outside counsel" for the World Bank and International Finance Corporation while in Beijing. Her LinkedIn profile lists her as an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing from 2011 to 2013 and as general counsel for Fix California from 2024 to 2025. Her Instagram describes her as a "Wife, Mom, & Lawyer". However, China's bar exam can only be taken by Chinese citizens, and media reports say she has not been found licensed in any US state. Zacharia told The Associated Press, "I practice international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials."
