Katie Zacharia Says She Never Passed the Bar: What We Know About Her Credentials
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White House press secretary Katie Zacharia acknowledged Thursday that she never passed the bar exam, after days of questions about whether she can call herself a lawyer. CBS News and ABC News both reported her remarks. A liberal watchdog group has also asked the State Bar of California to look into the matter.
Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University's law school, which the university confirmed to CBS News. She has described herself as a lawyer, and President Trump has called her an attorney.
What Zacharia has said about the exam
According to CBS News, Zacharia told conservative commentator Jack Posobiec that she took the California bar exam but did not pass. She said she was distracted by plans to marry and move to China for her husband's work. She said she did not think much of the results and did not need to pass to do her work in China.
ABC News reported that in an earlier interview with Real America's Voice, she said she took the exam after finishing her degree in 2011 but stopped short of saying whether she passed. She called the results "somewhat inconsequential" because she knew she would soon be in China. Later, on Fox News, host Sean Hannity asked whether she went to Pepperdine but did not pass the bar. Her answer, according to ABC, was "Correct." She said she never retook the exam.
The Wall Street Journal reported that she failed the California exam in 2011 and did not pass the bar in any other state where she has lived. Two people with direct knowledge told ABC News the same. Popular Information had earlier reported there was no evidence she was licensed to practice law.
The dispute over the word "lawyer"
Zacharia says she was careful with her labels. She told Real America's Voice that she consulted many people in the legal field about calling herself a lawyer, rather than an attorney at law or "Esquire," and offering legal analysis rather than legal advice. She said she never presented herself as a practicing attorney.
The record is mixed, according to CBS News. Her Instagram bio says she is a lawyer, and on Fox News in April she said she had lived in Beijing as a corporate lawyer for three years. She told The New York Times she had been warned not to use "attorney" or "esquire" but that "lawyer" was acceptable. CNN reported Thursday that she shared at least 15 social media posts in the past two years identifying herself as an attorney.
Her work in China is also unclear. A White House official said she worked on international transaction law while her husband held a job at an American private equity firm. Zacharia said in a statement that she practiced that field "with all the appropriate credentials," but CBS noted it is unclear what credentials she meant. CBS also reported that only Chinese nationals may take the bar exam in China. She told Real America's Voice she was offered a job in the international practice division of a Chinese law firm.
Earlier this week, as Trump departed for a trip to Alaska, a reporter asked where she had passed the bar. Reports differ slightly on her words: CBS quoted her as saying she went to China, while ABC said she twice said she moved to China. She later told the Times she could not hear the question over Marine One and assumed she was being asked where she was after law school.
The California complaint
On Wednesday, the Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the State Bar of California. The group cited a state law that makes it a misdemeanor to advertise or hold oneself out as practicing or entitled to practice law without being an active State Bar licensee or otherwise authorized. Executive director Michelle Kuppersmith said Zacharia had represented herself as a lawyer to bolster her credibility and urged the bar to investigate. Zacharia lived in California until she became press secretary.
Stanford Law professor Nora Freeman Engstrom told CBS News the statute is clear. She said it bars people from pretending they are entitled to practice law, not just from practicing without a license, and that no courtroom appearance or client is required to violate it.
White House communications director Steven Cheung responded by sharply criticizing the group on X, calling it a partisan organization and dismissing its complaint. He said Zacharia is "uniquely qualified" for the job, a view the White House has repeated.
Why it matters for readers
The press secretary is the administration's public voice, so questions about her stated credentials bear on how the public weighs what she says. Zacharia told ABC she does not plan to weigh in on legal matters in the role. The dispute also turns on a practical question that applies beyond this case: what professional titles people may use publicly under California law. Whether the use of "lawyer" or "attorney" crosses that line is contested, and Zacharia and the White House reject the complaint's premise.
What happens next
The complaint is now with the State Bar of California, which the group has asked to investigate and, if warranted, hold Zacharia accountable. No decision on whether to act has been reported.
