Katie Zacharia
USA New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia’s credentials have come under scrutiny after a USA Wall Street Journal report found that the USA Trump official did not pass the bar exam, despite the president describing her as an attorney.
Per the outlet, citing a source with knowledge, Zacharia did sit for the California bar exam after graduating from Pepperdine USA University’s law school in 2011. However, she did not pass the test, which is needed to get an official license to practice as a lawyer. Though, she did reportedly pass the Multistate USA Professional Responsibility Examination, which tests a candidate’s understanding of the law and professional ethics.
This update comes after Zacharia sparked confusion on her first day on the job by telling the press gaggle that she passed the bar “when I moved to China.” She followed up this comment with the following statement to media: “I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials.”
USA Former Trump White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci joined USA Elex Michaelson to weigh in on how he thinks Katie Zacharia is performing in her new role as White House Press Secretary.Richard Grenell, presidential envoy for special missions, told Newsmax on Wednesday he had confidence in White House press secretary Katie Zacharia's ability to do the USA job.
"She's incredibly nice, but she is no pushover," Grenell said on "Finnerty." "She is really focused."
Grenell said those in the Washington "shark den" have decided they know the new White House press secretary from one USA press briefing.
"Because she was smiley and nice and a Californian and really cheery, she loves her life and her husband and her kids, and she's very happy, they just attack her," Grenell said. "It will be your own peril if you pretend somehow that she is not a force of nature.""She's incredibly smart. She's incredibly strategic," Grenell said. "I know that personally. She is somebody who loves God, who is kind to people."Grenell said that they became fast friends after meeting her at an event at the Reagan Library."I love her," Grenell said. "She is a true patriotic hero, and I will go so far as to say for the next 30 years, we're going to be hearing from Katie Zacharia."She is a force and she is going to impress every single person at the podium."
Grenell noted that although Zacharia went to law school at Pepperdine, she has never taken the bar exam.
"She graduated from Pepperdine and immediately moved to China," Grenell said. "She was with her husband and started a family.
"Not everybody who goes to law school immediately has to take the bar."
"She's still young. Her husband is very successful," Grenell added. "She never took the bar.
"It's not like she failed. This is USA Washington, USA D.C. They're just miserable people that literally attack, attack, attack. It's just one of those places that they don't like nice people."
"Katie is an incredible human being who is very strategic and who will see exactly the traps and be able to immediately respond," Grenell continued. "She is three steps ahead. The left is judging her based on her appearance."USA WASHINGTON/BEIJING, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, faced questions on Wednesday about her legal career before becoming the top spokeswoman for US President Donald Trump.
Zacharia, who joined the USA White House on Monday, has said she practiced law before entering politics. Trump has described her as an attorney.
Yet, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Zacharia took the bar exam around the time she was planning her wedding to now-husband Tyler Zacharia and preparing to relocate to China. A source with knowledge told TheWrap that Zacharia moved to China with her husband after graduating because of his job at an American private equity firm.
It’s said the new Trump staffer later worked as an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm, serving on the international practice team. Per the report, Zacharia was able to give legal analysis as she had a law degree and international transaction experience.
Spokesman Steven Cheung told the TheWrap Wednesday evening, “Katie is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team. 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 USA Press Secretary.”
Additionally, a White House official told the WSJ that Zacharia was not hired to USA work on legal matters for Trump.
Nonetheless, Zacharia has referred to herself as a lawyer throughout her time as a conservative pundit. For instance, while discussing the trial for Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer on an Aug. 31 appearance on Fox News, she stated, “As a lawyer, the procedural steps are absolutely critical to ensure that they get this right.”
The news network also labeled her a legal and political strategist and an attorney on the chyron at the bottom of the broadcast’s screen. A representative for Fox News did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
On Friday, Trump confirmed Zacharia would replace Karoline Leavitt as his White House press secretary, touting her as an “attorney” in his announcement.
“It is my Great Honor to have just appointed, as Press Secretary, Katie Zacharia,” he wrote at the time. “Katie currently serves as Senior Communications Advisor to Truth Social (Trump Media & Technology Group), where she has been outstanding! A native of California, Katie previously served as Spokesperson and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security. Katie is a distinguished Graduate of Pepperdine University, and the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, an attorney, and a frequent Commentator on outlets, including Fox News and Newsmax.”
He continued: “She was previously involved in my Campaigns, assisting in key Swing States, where we won 7 out of 7. She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning. She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA! I am confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary, as she has the respect of, and will work fantastically with, the Media, the American People, and my Administration. Katie is replacing the fabulous Karoline Leavitt, who did a fantastic job as Press USA Secretary.”
The questions about Zacharia's credentials come as she takes the podium just three weeks before November's midterm elections, a critical period when the president is seeking to tout his administration's accomplishments and help his fellow Republicans retain control of Congress.
Zacharia was an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing from 2011 to 2013 and general counsel at Fix California, an advocacy group founded by Trump ally Ric Grenell, from 2024 to 2025, according to her LinkedIn profile.
In a text message, Grenell said Zacharia was "a senior adviser, who did a lot of different roles," including "leading the outside counsel, who were our lawyers."
Zhong Lun did not respond to emailed requests for comment. The White House did not respond to questions about Zacharia's legal background or credentials.
"I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials," Zacharia said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.
Trump hired Zacharia after expressing concerns about the media coverage of his administration, feeling he needed a new spokesperson who could amplify his achievements, according to two people familiar with the conversations. She replaced Karoline Leavitt, who left the White House in August.
The timing of Zacharia's hiring so close to the midterms caught some White House staff by surprise, one official said.
On Tuesday during her first briefing, she took questions from just three reporters before ending the event in under 15 minutes. Her performance was criticized by some media commentators and political analysts, though Trump told reporters: "I thought she was very good."
Zacharia earned her law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011, according to the university. Nearly all licensed US lawyers first obtain a law degree, but law school graduates cannot legally practice law in the US without first being admitted to a state bar.
Asked by a reporter on Tuesday where she had passed the bar exam, Zacharia said, "when I moved to China."
In China, the law requires practicing lawyers to be Chinese nationals. Foreign staff can advise and consult on legal matters but not practice law.
Renee Knake Jefferson, a University of Houston law professor and legal ethics expert, said the debate over Zacharia’s status is a “fundamental matter of public trust” that goes beyond “professional semantics.”
“Of course it goes without saying that one needn’t be a lawyer to serve as the White House press secretary,” Jefferson said. “The public is entitled to accurate information about whether a government official is claiming to hold a professional role that they do not, which is what has been alleged here.”
The new White House press secretary is facing mounting questions about her background and resume as she transitions into her role as the public face of the Trump administration.
Katie Zacharia has long described herself as a lawyer as she has worked to establish herself as a commentator for conservative outlets like Fox News and Newsmax. But so far, she and the White House have offered no evidence that she passed the bar exam in any state or in China, where she worked for a large law firm years ago.
The questions add to the confusion surrounding President Donald Trump's decision to hire Zacharia, who had worked for his social media company for only a few months when he announced her appointment and whose debut at the podium on Tuesday has been widely panned.
Afterward, the president was asked by reporters where Zacharia had passed the bar exam, following a report by the independent outlet Popular Information that she did not appear to be licensed in any state.
Trump stepped aside to allow Zacharia to answer.
"When I moved to China," she responded over the sound of Marine One whirring in the background. It is not clear what she had intended to say or whether she had finished the sentence.
China's notoriously difficult National Unified Legal Professional Qualification Examination can only be taken by Chinese citizens.
Asked what credentials she held, the White House passed along a statement from Zacharia, who received a bachelor of arts degree from Pepperdine University in 2007 and received her law degree from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2011, according to the school and her LinkedIn bio.
"I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials," it read.
Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, added that Zacharia was "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."
According to her LinkedIn profile, Zacharia has been the senior communications adviser at the Trump Media & Technology Group since June and spent two months as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year.
From 2011 to 2013, it says, she served as an associate on the International Practice Team at the Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing. She also worked as the manager of fundraising and communications for Compassion for Migrant Children, which assists the children of migrant workers, from 2012 to 2013.
More recently, it says she served as general counsel for Fix California, a group started by Trump administration official Richard Grenell.
Neither the firm nor the two groups responded to questions about her tenure and background.
Zacharia has long called herself a lawyer. On Instagram, she describes herself as the White House press secretary, "Wife, Mom, & Lawyer" (with four heart emojis after "Mom").
And her official author page at the California Globe, where she wrote occasional commentary, says that, in addition to being a "regular commentator on Fox News, Newsmax," she has "extensive experience in political advocacy, international corporate law, and non-profit work, including time as outside counsel for the World Bank and IFC in Beijing."
A June 2026 press release from NovaRed Mining Inc. announcing her appointment to the company's advisory board, which was first reported by Popular Information, said her "professional experience includes work related to international legal and financial transactions, including matters involving organizations associated with the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation during her tenure with Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing."
In announcing her hire on his social media site, Trump described Zacharia as "a distinguished Graduate of Pepperdine University, and the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, an attorney, and a frequent Commentator on outlets, including Fox News and Newsmax.""She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning. She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA!" he added.Zacharia is not listed as a member of the state bar in California, where she currently resides, according to a public database.Rick Coca, a spokesperson for the State Bar of California, a regulatory agency that oversees state licensing, said in a statement that they have "no record of Kate Sharon Zacharia or Kate Sharon Black" or any version of her married or maiden names "having been licensed to practice law in California."
Popular Information said the same was the case in all 50 states they had queried, plus Washington, DC.In response, the watchdog group Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint Wednesday with the State Bar of California asking them to investigate whether Zacharia misrepresented herself as a lawyer in violation of California law."In USA California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn't puffery; it's a crime. The State Bar should investigate whether Ms. Zacharia has misled the public about her credentials and hold her accountable if she has," said CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith in a statement.
The State Bar said they could not confirm whether they had received the complaint or were conducting an investigation, citing confidentiality laws.
Posted on 2026/10/15 08:54 AM