White House press secretary Katie Zacharia did not pass California bar exam, officials say, as media and activists pounce
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A senior administration official confirmed that Katie Zacharia did not pass the California bar exam, even as critics, legal activists, and news outlets seized on the issue after President Donald Trump announced her appointment.
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has not passed the California bar exam, a senior administration official said, after a wave of commentary from critics eager to weaponize a credential question into a political attack. While President Donald Trump referred to her as an “attorney” in a Truth Social post announcing her appointment, legal experts note that the term “lawyer” is generally understood to require bar admission.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Zacharia’s bar exam result, and NBC News has found no record of her being licensed to practice law in any U.S. state. Zacharia, a Pepperdine Law graduate, has claimed to have practiced law in China, though only Chinese citizens may sit for that jurisdiction’s bar exam.
State Bar of California and D.C. Bar officials did not immediately respond to inquiries about her status. The California Attorney General’s Office also did not comment on a request from the Democracy Defenders Fund to investigate potential unauthorized practice of law.
A spokesperson for the State Bar indicated that the bar could not confirm whether any complaint had been filed, citing confidentiality rules. The White House pointed to a prior statement from Zacharia in which she said she “practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials.”
Representatives of the Democracy Defenders Fund, including Norm Eisen and law professor Richard Painter, urged an investigation, noting that falsely presenting oneself as a lawyer can be a criminal offense punishable by fines or up to one year in jail.