Watchdog files complaint against Zacharia with California bar
The Hill · C · trust 70/100
Comments: by Mallory Wilson - 10/14/26 12:42 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Mallory Wilson - 10/14/26 12:42 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING The Campaign for Accountability has filed a complaint with the California State Bar Association asking for an investigation into White House press secretary Katie Zacharia over her claims that she is a lawyer after reports surfaced that she is not licensed to practice law in any state.
The complaint notes that if the reporting is accurate that Zacharia has “repeatedly held herself out to the public as entitled to practice law without a license to do so,” then it’s an act that California law treats as a crime.
“Ms. Zacharia has represented herself as a lawyer repeatedly to buttress her reputation and credibility as a television legal commentator and now as the White House spokesperson, yet it seems it was all a lie,” Campaign for Accountability Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith said in a statement.
“In 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,” she said.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
Zacharia’s job history was called into question as she started her job as White House press secretary. The newsletter Popular Information first raised questions about her legal career.
Zacharia held her first press briefing Tuesday, taking questions from three reporters and dropping the news that U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle had been asked to resign. The briefing lasted roughly 14 minutes. Zacharia was criticized by some observers for appearing nervous during the briefing and for calling on just a handful of reporters, some of whom represent conservative outlets.
Zacharia later appeared with President Trump when reporters asked the president how he thought she did and where she passed the bar exam.
Trump deferred to Zacharia, who said it was “when I moved to China.”
A White House official said she moved to China with her husband after graduating due to his job at a U.S. private equity firm, and she worked on international transaction law. Her LinkedIn says she was an associate on the International Practice Team for Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing from 2011-13.
Trump also described her as an attorney when he announced she would take over the position from former press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“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 wrote on Truth Social last week.
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