White House Press Secretary Deflects on Legal Qualifications, Blames Trump for Lack of Inquiry
Katie Zacharia maintains her role requires press representation, not legal counsel, and states President Trump never asked about her bar exam status.
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia has addressed scrutiny over her legal qualifications, asserting that President Donald Trump never inquired about her bar exam status, as she was hired to represent him to the press, not serve as White House counsel.
Zacharia, a frequent commentator on conservative media outlets like Fox News, has faced questions about describing herself as a lawyer despite never having passed a U.S. bar exam. When pressed by reporters earlier in the week, she initially responded that she had passed the bar in China, where she worked after graduating from Pepperdine University Law School. This statement baffled reporters, as such an exam is not offered in China and U.S. citizens generally cannot take Chinese legal tests. Zacharia later clarified that she had not passed a U.S. bar exam, stating it was not necessary for her role in China.
During an interview on Fox & Friends Friday morning, host Lawrence Jones questioned Zacharia about whether she wished she had disclosed her bar exam status to the president. "Well, Lawrence, those questions weren't asked," Zacharia replied. "I'm being hired as White House press secretary and not White House counsel. The conversations and the reason I was hired was to represent the president in the press."
The controversy stems from Zacharia's past self-identification as an attorney. In many U.S. states, including California where Zacharia lived prior to her current role, misrepresenting oneself as an attorney can have legal consequences.
Trump's announcement of Zacharia as press secretary last week described her as "an attorney, and a frequent Commentator on outlets, including Fox News and Newsmax." Following her Tuesday job start, Zacharia's statement about passing the bar in China quickly generated further questions. California Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu posted on X, "One cannot take an American state bar exam in China. Bar exams are administered at designated testing locations in each state of the union."
Zacharia worked at the Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing from approximately August 2011 to June 2014, practicing international transaction law. Her LinkedIn profile also lists her as the general counsel of the conservative political group Fix California and claims she served as outside counsel for the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation.