White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Faces Scrutiny Over Legal Credentials

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is facing scrutiny following reports that she described herself as a lawyer despite not passing a bar exam.

Zacharia, 42, failed the California bar exam after graduating from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011, according to the Wall Street Journal. Zacharia told The New York Times on Wednesday that she asked Pepperdine’s president how to describe herself after graduating and was advised she could say lawyer but not attorney or esquire. She later told the Times she misheard the question, believing it was "Where were you after law school?" due to the noise from Marine One. She meant to say that after graduating Pepperdine Law, she moved to China, working for two years at Beijing-based Zhong Lun Law Firm.

Her LinkedIn profile describes her as an associate in the international practice team. In 2024 and 2025, Zacharia was listed as general counsel of Fix California, a conservative group. A US watchdog group, Campaign for Accountability, filed a complaint with the State Bar of California, asking it to investigate whether Zacharia broke the law by repeatedly presenting herself as a lawyer without a license.

The group's executive director, Michelle Kuppersmith, said Zacharia represented herself as a lawyer repeatedly to buttress her reputation and credibility. President Donald Trump described Zacharia as an attorney when announcing her appointment last Friday. White House communications director Steven Cheung said Zacharia is uniquely qualified and whip smart to help inform the American people. Leaked messages from Trump administration officials described Zacharia's debut briefing as poor, with one senior official saying, "She could barely read."