New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia is facing growing questions about her legal background just days after taking the job. A watchdog group has asked California’s State Bar to look into whether she misled the public by presenting herself as a lawyer without a proper license.
The Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint claiming Zacharia repeatedly called herself a lawyer on television and listed herself as general counsel for a California conservative nonprofit. Executive director Michelle Kuppersmith said Zacharia used the title to strengthen her reputation and credibility. The group wants the bar to check if she broke any rules by doing so.
President Donald Trump introduced her as “an attorney” when he named her to the role last Friday. Yet reporters have found no record of her being licensed to practice law in any American state. In a statement, Zacharia said she practiced international transaction law with all the appropriate credentials, but she did not confirm holding a U.S. law license.
When journalists asked her on Tuesday where she passed the bar exam, she answered, “When I moved to China.” California’s State Bar told media outlets it has no record of her under either her married or maiden name. Zacharia, 41, earned her law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011. A degree alone does not allow someone to practice law. Foreign nationals cannot take China’s bar exam, though they can do limited legal work at Chinese firms. Her professional profile shows she once worked at a Beijing law firm.
The credentials issue came after a shaky first briefing on Tuesday. Zacharia read heavily from notes during a short 14-minute session. She took questions from only three outlets seen as friendly to Trump and mixed up a few answers, once calling the president her husband by mistake. Former press secretary Jen Psaki compared the performance to a Saturday Night Live sketch. Trump still praised her, saying he thought she was very good.
Zacharia replaced Karoline Leavitt, who left the post in August after becoming one of the strongest public voices for Trump’s second term. The new press secretary now finds herself under close watch as the public face of the administration.
