White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia did not pass a US bar exam, despite President Donald Trump describing her as an attorney when announcing her appointment, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
Zacharia took the California bar exam after graduating from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011 but failed, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told the WSJ. At the time, she was preparing for her wedding and a move to China, the person added.
Questions about her credentials emerged after searches of attorney directories in California, Texas, and Washington, DC, under both her married and maiden name produced no listings.
Zacharia has claimed she is a lawyer on multiple occasions. When reporters asked her on Tuesday which state’s bar exam she had passed, she replied: “When I moved to China.”
Her LinkedIn profile currently lists her as having a Juris Doctor degree. Notably, if she did not pass the bar exam and has not been licensed, she is not a lawyer by definition.
Fox News also identified her as an attorney at least 18 times when she appeared as a commentator on several different programs. The network did not respond to the WSJ’s request for comment.
Zacharia has also called herself an attorney on other podcasts, news broadcasts, and media appearances.
In a statement, she said: “I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials.”
Zacharia joined Beijing's Zhong Lun Law Firm in 2011
Zacharia moved to Beijing in the summer of 2011 and joined the international practice team at Zhong Lun Law Firm. A source familiar with her employment told the WSJ that she was among four international associates who drafted agreements for multimillion-dollar cross-border transactions and communicated with American and multinational clients operating in China.
Another source with direct knowledge of the matter said lawyers later advised Zacharia that her law degree and international transaction experience qualified her to provide legal analysis.
Her LinkedIn profile also lists a position as general counsel at Fix California, the nonprofit founded by Trump administration official Richard Grenell, from January 2024 to March 2025. General counsel positions usually involve serving as an organization's in-house lawyer, meaning Zacharia would have had to practice law, though she is not licensed to do so.
Acting as an organization’s attorney in California without a license would be a misdemeanor.
Someone familiar with her work there said she coordinated the organization’s outside lawyers and served as their point of contact.
Corinne Baum contributed to this report.