Failed bar exam, but 'I'm a lawyer': New US press secretary defends credentials

New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia has defended her decision to call herself a lawyer despite failing the California bar exam and never obtaining a US law licence, saying she consulted legal professionals who told her the designation was acceptable.

Amid the ongoing scrutiny over her credentials, the 41-year-old, who took office on October 9, told USA TODAY that she failed the bar exam in 2011, the year she graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school, but did not attempt it again after moving to China with her then-boyfriend, Tyler Zacharia, whom she later married.

“The results of the bar exam were inconsequential because I was already moving to a foreign country that didn't require it,” she told the publication in an interview.

Zacharia said she subsequently joined the international practice division of Chinese law firm Zhong Lun, where she worked on multimillion-dollar cross-border shareholder agreements and investment transactions.

She argued that her law degree was sufficient for the work she did in China, where she said there was no bar examination requirement for the practice she undertook.

Speaking later to Real America's Voice, a conservative YouTube channel, Zacharia offered a more detailed defence of her use of the term lawyer, saying she had sought advice before publicly describing herself that way.

“A lot of the misinformation and miscommunication is around the fact that I labelled myself a lawyer, and I have consulted many people for a very long time in the field. ‘Is it okay and acceptable if I label myself a lawyer, not attorney at law, not Katie Zacharia esquire, but lawyer, and provide legal analysis, not legal advice. And they said absolutely, across the board. You can call yourself a lawyer',” she said.

“The truth is, is I was very careful how I executed this, and I never came across as someone who was an attorney at law."

Zacharia said she had been distracted and overwhelmed by excitement over her wedding plans when she sat for the bar exam, following more than a year of maintaining a long-distance relationship.

After relocating to China, she said, she did not give the result much further thought.

However, her explanation has not settled questions about how she represented her qualifications after returning to the US.

While a law degree is not a requirement for serving as White House press secretary, legal experts have questioned whether describing herself as a lawyer without a licence was appropriate or ethical.

ZACHARIA REPEATEDLY USED 'ATTORNEY' TITLE

An examination of her public statements and social media activity has added to the scrutiny.

According to CNN, Zacharia shared at least 15 posts between April 2025 and September this year that identified her as an “attorney”, despite acknowledging that she had been advised against using that particular designation.

The posts appeared on her X and Truth Social accounts and included headlines from Fox News and segments from One America News.

At least one post on X has since been deleted, CNN reported.

On April 26, 2025, Zacharia shared a Fox News headline describing an “attorney” commenting on proof-of-citizenship requirements in US elections. She shared the same headline six times on Truth Social that day and posted it again on May 14, 2025.

She subsequently amplified six One America News posts identifying her as an “attorney” — two on May 14, two on June 4, one on June 17 and two on September 11, 2026, according to CNN's review.

Her use of the term was not limited to social media.

During an appearance on The Greg Kelly Show earlier this month, she said, “I’m a lawyer,” while discussing the process for confirming federal attorney nominees.

In an October 2023 interview with a Christian podcast, she had also spoken about attending law school before moving to Beijing, where she said she worked in the legal field for around two to two-and-a-half years.

HOW THE SCRUTINY BEGAN

President Trump announced Zacharia's appointment as White House press secretary in a social media post on October 9, describing her as an “attorney” and highlighting her experience as a conservative commentator who has appeared on Fox News and Newsmax.

The controversy over her credentials also surfaced in a public exchange with Trump.

Shortly after delivering her first press briefing on Tuesday, Zacharia accompanied the president as he began a three-day campaign swing.

When a reporter asked Trump where she had passed the bar exam, he turned to her, and she replied, “When I moved to China.”

Zacharia later told The New York Times that she had misunderstood the question and thought the reporter was asking where she had gone after law school.

Her LinkedIn profile also lists her as having served as general counsel for the conservative group Fix California from 2024 to 2025.

However, a source familiar with her background told USA TODAY that the role was a senior advisory position that did not involve developing legal strategies or providing legal advice.

The watchdog group Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint against Zacharia with the State Bar of California on October 14, seeking an investigation into whether her repeated claims to being a lawyer violated California law.

The complaint also asks the bar to examine whether her work for Fix California breached any legal requirements.

- Ends