Asked where she passed her bar exam, the president’s new spokeswoman said it was “when I moved to China”. The answer has done little to settle scrutiny of her qualifications as an attorney.
Katie Zacharia, 41, who replaced Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary last week, has been questioned over where she qualified as a lawyer. A reporter put the question to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, and he passed it to her. She replied: “When I moved to China.” She gave no further explanation. Her name does not appear in the attorney directories of any US state or territory, according to newsletter author Judd Legum.
The question and her answer
Mr Trump had announced the appointment by describing Ms 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”.
In the United States, practising as an attorney normally requires passing a state bar exam, and Ms Zacharia does not appear on the California State Bar website. As Mr Trump and Ms Zacharia left the White House on Tuesday afternoon, a reporter asked: “You said she’s an attorney. Where did she pass the bar exam? Which state?” Her reply, “When I moved to China”, prompted immediate questions from critics.
Bar exams in the US are administered in person under current rules, and it is unclear how she could have sat one in China. Mr Legum, who has openly asked whether she has broken any laws on falsely claiming to be an attorney, wrote on social media: “To be clear, there is zero chance Zacharia took the Chinese bar exam. She doesn’t speak Chinese and only Chinese citizens can take it.”
Only Chinese citizens can sit the Chinese legal exam. However, Ms Zacharia told the South China Morning Postpreviously that she speaks a little Mandarin and used to interrupt conversations to practise it.
Her time in Beijing
Ms Zacharia lived and worked in Beijing for roughly two to three years after finishing at Pepperdine’s law school. She worked for the Zhong Lun Law Firm from about August 2011 to June 2014. Her husband, Tyler Zacharia, worked in the city at the same time for a private equity firm.
Her professional biography describes her as an attorney, political strategist and international adviser. It refers to legal and financial work involving organisations associated with the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation during her time at Zhong Lun. Nothing publicly verifies her job title or professional status there, and the firm has not independently confirmed either.
What Pepperdine has confirmed
Pepperdine University confirmed that Ms Zacharia graduated from its undergraduate programme in 2007 and received her Juris Doctor degree in 2011. It said she worked as director of development for special projects from 2023 to 2025 and sits on the Dean’s Council at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. It also listed earlier roles as a spokesperson and deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.
The university’s 9 October announcement did not say in which state or country she holds a current licence to practise law. Reports so far have found no active licence in California, Texas or Washington DC, and no publicly verified US bar admission.
Earlier role in California
Ms Zacharia was previously general counsel at Fix California, a conservative political organisation associated with Richard Grenell, a former acting director of national intelligence. The group is based in California, where her absence from the State Bar’s listings has become central to the questions.
Whether someone can lawfully carry out particular in-house legal duties without California bar membership depends on the nature of the work and any applicable registration or exemption. No public disciplinary finding that she engaged in unauthorised legal practice has been identified. Not appearing on a bar listing does not in itself prove criminal wrongdoing.
Her first briefing
Ms Zacharia gave her first White House briefing on Tuesday 13 October. It lasted about 14 minutes, and she took three questions. They came from Breitbart News, Fox News and the Daily Mail. The Associated Press reported that she largely relied on prepared remarks covering the president’s priorities on energy, immigration and tariffs. She was asked about US intelligence sharing with Ukraine, and her answer reportedly lacked clarity about the administration’s position.
She announced that Mr Trump had asked Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US ambassador to Greece, to resign. “We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign,” she said. “She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.” The announcement followed allegations that Ms Guilfoyle asked a Republican donor to pay about $100,000 towards her personal American Express bill. Ms Guilfoyle denies wrongdoing, and the State Department’s inspector general has begun investigating. No departure date or replacement was announced.
While discussing raising four children alongside her new job, Ms Zacharia accidentally called Mr Trump her husband. She quickly corrected herself: “My president, sorry, my husband.” Her family plans to move from California to Washington DC.
The Washington Post reported that some White House officials privately questioned her readiness for the role, and that Mr Trump chose her without following the usual process involving chief of staff Susie Wiles. Mr Trump later praised her debut. Joe Lockhart, who was Bill Clinton’s press secretary from 1998 to 2000, told CNN: “It was a little bizarre to rush her out there and then rush her out of the room.” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins also questioned the small number of questions taken.
Ms Zacharia confirmed that the White House will keep the new-media seat introduced under Ms Leavitt. She said the administration could widen access for non-traditional outlets, and that her role would involve promoting Mr Trump’s policies.
Questions that remain
Reporting has not established which US jurisdiction, if any, admitted her to practise law, or whether she passed a bar exam outside the US. It has not shown whether she held any professional registration relating to foreign law in China, or whether she was licensed while general counsel at Fix California. It is also unclear whether any bar regulator has opened an inquiry. Fox News has reportedly disputed suggesti
