Campaigners have filed a complaint against new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia over repeated claims that she is a lawyer, alleging that she may have misrepresented her professional credentials.
The complaint was submitted to the State Bar of California by Campaign for Accountability, a public accountability organisation. In California, falsely presenting oneself as a lawyer is a criminal offence.
Michelle Kuppersmith, the organisation’s head, said Zacharia had used the claim to strengthen her reputation as a television legal commentator and now as a White House spokesperson.
“Yet it seems it was all a lie,” Ms Kuppersmith said.
She added: “In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn’t puffery; it’s a crime.”
The complaint asks the state’s legal regulator to examine whether Zacharia misled the public about her qualifications and to hold her accountable if it finds that she did.
Questions over Katie Zacharia’s legal credentials
Zacharia’s LinkedIn profile says she obtained a degree from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2011. It also lists her as an associate at Beijing-based Zhong Lun Law Firm from 2011 to 2013, and as general counsel for Fix California, a voting rights group, between 2024 and 2025.
Her Instagram biography describes her as a “Wife, Mom, & Lawyer”. A biography published by the pro-Trump women’s organisation Trumpettes USA Inc says she served as outside counsel to the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation while working in Beijing.
Scrutiny intensified after Zacharia was asked where she had passed the bar exam. She replied: “When I moved to China.” The answer appeared to refer to the three years she says she spent working at a law firm in Beijing.
China’s National Unified Legal Professional Qualification Examination can be taken only by Chinese citizens, although foreigners have occasionally been permitted to practise law there after gaining several years’ experience in their home countries.
Media reports have not identified Zacharia as licensed to practise law in any US state. Responding to the criticism, she said: “I practice international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials.”
Zacharia, a frequent commentator on Fox News and Newsmax, began her role as White House press secretary on Tuesday. Her first briefing lasted less than 15 minutes and included a prepared statement thanking US President Donald Trump for the opportunity.
She had spent several months as a communications adviser at the Department of Homeland Security since Mr Trump returned to office for a second term. Since June, she has also been senior communications adviser at Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns the Truth Social platform.
