Just days into her new role, White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia is facing scrutiny over her legal credentials and professional background. While President Donald Trump referred to her as an attorney, questions have emerged regarding whether she is licensed to practice law.
Reporting from Washington, The New York Times detailed that Zacharia graduated with a law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011. However, legal experts note that possessing a law degree does not automatically make someone an attorney; that designation requires passing a bar exam and holding a license to practice. The Wall Street Journal reported that she sat for the California bar exam after graduation but did not pass, and records show no active law license for her in California or other U.S. states where she has lived.
The controversy intensified following her public comments and professional history. When asked on Tuesday about where she passed the bar exam, Zacharia replied, “When I moved to China.” On Wednesday evening, she told The New York Times that the exchange was a misunderstanding caused by loud helicopter noise on the tarmac in Arizona, where the president was attending a midterm rally, explaining that she thought she was being asked where she was after law school.
Additional questions have been raised about her past titles. On LinkedIn, Zacharia previously listed herself as general counsel for Fix California, a group led by Richard Grenell. Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the law school at UC Berkeley, told The Times that using the title general counsel implies practicing law and giving legal advice, which requires a valid bar admission. On Wednesday, a watchdog group filed a complaint with the State Bar of California requesting an investigation into whether she held herself out as entitled to practice law without a license.
Zacharia's resume also includes nearly two years listed on LinkedIn at Zhong Lun Law Firm in China. While foreign nationals cannot sit for China's bar or advise on Chinese law, Chinese law firms can hire foreigners for cross-border transactions and international law matters. Legal experts noted that while foreign nationals can work in such roles, describing oneself as an associate can be misleading because it may imply licensed status.