Katie Zacharia, the new White House press secretary under United States President Donald Trump, has drawn increasing criticism over claims about her professional background.
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Zacharia → draw → background
On Wednesday, a public accountability nonprofit filed a complaint with the State Bar of California over Zacharia’s repeated claims that she was a lawyer.
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she → file → claims
3Katie Zacharia selected to be next White House press secretary
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Zacharia → select → ?
3New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia holds first briefing
If made falsely, such a claim is a crime in the state.
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claim → hold → state
According to Zacharia’s LinkedIn profile, she received a degree from the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2011, but critics have questioned whether she received a licence to practise law, as she has suggested.
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she → accord → law
“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,” Michelle Kuppersmith, the head of the Washington, DC-based Campaign for Accountability, said in a statement.
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Kuppersmith → represent → statement
“Yet it seems it was all a lie.”
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it → seem → ?
Her organisation filed the complaint with California’s bar office, a regulatory agency that oversees the licensing of lawyers.
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that → file → lawyers
“In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn’t puffery; it’s a crime,” Kuppersmith said.
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Kuppersmith → call → license
“The State Bar should investigate whether Ms. Zacharia has misled the public about her credentials and hold her accountable if she has.”
Zacharia, a commentator who has appeared frequently on Fox News and Newsmax, began her term as White House press secretary on Tuesday.
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who → investigate → Tuesday
In a news briefing that day, she seemed to falter and speak haltingly, sometimes having to repeat herself.
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she → seem → herself
Her appearance was brief, lasting under 15 minutes.
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appearance → last → minutes
She spent much of her time at the podium thanking Trump for the opportunity and reading from a prepared statement.
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She → spend → statement
“I have wanted to work for him for a very long time,” Zacharia said.
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Zacharia → want → time
Later, she joined Trump outside the White House to speak further with reporters.
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she → join → reporters
When asked where she had passed the bar exam, Zacharia replied, “When I moved to China.”
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I → ask → China
The response was an apparent reference to a three-year stint in which she claims she worked at a law firm in Beijing.
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she → claim → Beijing
A biography on the website for the pro-Trump women’s organisation Trumpettes USA Inc says she “served as outside counsel” for the World Bank and International Finance Corporation while in Beijing.
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she → say → Beijing
Her LinkedIn profile, meanwhile, indicates Zacharia served as an associate at the Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing from 2011 to 2013.
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Zacharia → indicate → 2013
More recently, from 2024 to 2025, it lists her as general counsel for Fix California, a voter rights group started by a Trump administration official.
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it → list → official
On her Instagram profile, Zacharia describes herself as a “Wife, Mom, & Lawyer”.
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Zacharia → describe → Wife
But Zacharia’s assertion that she passed the bar in China has fuelled media scrutiny.
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she → pass → scrutiny
China’s equivalent of the bar exam, the notoriously difficult National Unified Legal Professional Qualification Examination, can only be taken by Chinese citizens.
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equivalent → take → citizens
China has, on rare occasion, allowed foreigners to practise law in the country if they have several years of experience in their home countries first.
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they → allow → countries
But that does not appear to be the case for Zacharia.
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that → appear → Zacharia
According to media reports, Zacharia has not been found to be licensed as a lawyer in any state in the US.
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Zacharia → accord → US
In a statement to The Associated Press, Zacharia responded to the scrutiny by saying, “I practice international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials.”
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I → respond → credentials
Since Trump’s return to office for a second term, Zacharia has spent several months as a communications adviser at the Department of Homeland Security.
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Zacharia → spend → Security
Since June, she has also worked as the senior communications adviser at the Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns the Truth Social platform.
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which → work → platform
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