New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia is facing questions about her professional credentials after reports emerged that she failed to pass the California bar examination and may not be qualified to describe herself as a lawyer in the state.
The controversy has also prompted Campaign for Accountability, a nonpartisan government watchdog, to ask the State Bar of California to investigate her use of the professional title.
According to a report published by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter, Zacharia failed an attempt to pass the California bar exam after completing her law degree at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law.
Although she holds a law degree, questions have also been raised about the credentials she says enabled her to work on international legal transactions in China.
White House spokesman Steven Cheung defended Zacharia, praising her abilities and suitability for the position.
“Katie is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team,” he said. “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.”
The dispute centres not on whether a law degree is necessary to serve as White House press secretary, but on Zacharia’s repeated descriptions of herself as a lawyer in public appearances and on social media.
Independent journalist Judd Legum first documented some of her claims. A review by CNN’s K-File subsequently identified at least six occasions when Zacharia referred to herself as a lawyer or corporate lawyer in her own words. It also found several instances in which she posted or reposted material describing her as an attorney or “legal strategist”.
President Donald Trump also referred to her as an “attorney” when announcing her appointment.
The issue came into public focus on Tuesday when reporters asked Trump at the White House where Zacharia had passed the bar examination. She responded from behind him, saying she had done so when she moved to China, prompting Trump to react with apparent surprise.
Zacharia later told The New York Times that she had misunderstood the question.
“I assumed the question was, ‘Where were you after law school?’” she said. “That’s all I could hear over the sound of Marine One,” she added, “and wanting to respect protocol, the distance behind the president, kept me from moving closer to hear the question.”
She subsequently defended her professional background in a statement, saying she had
“practiced international transactional law, with all the appropriate credentials.”
Her LinkedIn profile lists nearly two years of work beginning in 2011 as an associate in the international practice group at Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing. The Wall Street Journal reported that she was one of four associates working as an “international legal consultant”.
However, questions remain about the nature of the qualifications she held in China. According to the report, China’s Ministry of Justice states that only citizens can obtain licences to practise law in the country.
A White House official said Zacharia moved to China with her husband after graduating from law school because of his job at an American private equity firm, while she worked on international transaction law.
Her professional profile has also come under scrutiny over other legal-related descriptions. Zacharia lists herself as “general counsel” for the activist organisation Fix California, but the nonprofit’s 2024 tax filing identifies her as a fundraiser.
CNN’s White House team said it had found no evidence that Zacharia had passed a bar examination in the states where she had lived and worked since graduating from Pepperdine.
California law sets out several requirements for admission to the legal profession, including educational qualifications, a finding of good moral character, passing an ethics examination and successfully completing the state’s bar examination.
Based on the reported failure to pass the California bar, Zacharia should not be regarded as a lawyer in the state, where she has lived and worked. California law also makes falsely claiming to be a lawyer a misdemeanour.
On Wednesday, Campaign for Accountability announced that it had requested an investigation by the State Bar of California.
The controversy has drawn comparisons with the criticism directed at Democratic US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan. Republicans have attacked El-Sayed for describing himself as a doctor despite not practising clinical medicine, even though he earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Columbia University.
At a debate this month, Republican candidate and former congressman Mike Rogers reportedly called El-Sayed a “con man”.
El-Sayed has held public health positions in the Detroit area, and expanding health insurance coverage to all Americans is a central part of his policy agenda. His Democratic supporters continue to refer to him as a doctor.
In an advertisement supporting El-Sayed, former President Barack Obama said, “Abdul’s a doctor, and he’s taken on special interests to fight for good jobs, better healthcare, and lower costs.”
The questions surrounding Zacharia’s credentials come as the Trump administration faces scrutiny over its handling of the war launched by the United States against Iran and the inflationary pressures affecting American households.
While the dispute over her professional title may appear secondary to those broader concerns, it could become more significant if Democrats gain control of one or both chambers of Congress and launch investigations into the administration, including its activities and the financial gains made by Trump’s family during his presidency.
Trump frequently addresses reporters during extended appearances in the Oval Office. However, the report argues that he may increasingly need a press secretary he can rely on if his administration faces intensified congressional scrutiny.
For now, Zacharia’s professional background remains under examination, with the requested investigation potentially bringing further attention to the qualifications she has claimed.
