Is Katie Zacharia a Lawyer? Ex-White House Press Secretary's Legal Credentials Examined After Her Ouster

Katie Zacharia's legal credentials came under intense scrutiny during her five-day tenure as White House press secretary.

The conservative commentator has frequently presented herself as a lawyer in media appearances, and President Donald Trump called her an "attorney" when announcing her White House role in an October 9 Truth Social post. Her appointment, however, lasted just five days, with White House officials telling Fox News' Peter Doocy she would be "transitioning out" of the role.

The New York Times also reported on October 16 that Zacharia had been fired from the position.

Here's what to know about Zacharia's qualifications and whether she is licensed to practice law.

As the president prepared to depart for Alaska on October 13, reporters asked Trump where Zacharia had passed the bar exam at after he had previously described her as an attorney.

"You said she's an attorney. Where did she pass the bar exam? Which state? Which state? Can she tell us?" the reporter questioned.

Trump turned toward Zacharia, who responded, "When I moved to China."

After the statement raised further questions about her legal background, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter, that Zacharia sat for the California bar exam in 2011 but did not pass.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung released a statement amid the criticism, calling Zacharia a "fabulous and wonderful addition to the team."

"She is uniquely qualified and whip smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his Administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as Press Secretary," Cheung continued.

Zacharia addressed the questions surrounding her legal credentials in an October 14 emailed statement, which read, "I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials."

But during her one-on-one interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity on October 15, Zacharia confirmed that she had failed the bar exam and had never retaken it.

She also told Real America's Voice the exam results were "somewhat inconsequential" because she had already planned to move to China.

Zacharia explained, "The results are somewhat inconsequential because I knew I wouldn't need the bar in China, and — and we left shortly thereafter. And after moving to China, I think ... I didn't — I didn't really think much of the bar results or consider that something that I needed to focus on, and I was offered a job at a — in an international practice division of a — of a Chinese law firm."

According to her LinkedIn profile, Zacharia earned a bachelor's degree in political science and government from Pepperdine University in June 2007 and obtained a law degree from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2011.

After graduating, she worked as a full-time associate on the International Practice Team at Beijing-based Zhong Lun Law Firm from 2011 to 2013.

There is no publicly documented evidence that Zacharia had engaged in other legal work after her stint in China ended, but she served as general counsel for Fix California — a nonprofit founded by Richard Grenell — from January 2024 to March 2025.

Despite Zacharia's legal education, public records showed no evidence that she had been admitted to the bar in any U.S. state.

Popular Information journalist Judd Legum said Zacharia had been identified as a lawyer at least 18 times on Fox News alone despite lacking a license to practice law.

The Washington Post independently reported the same finding, saying it found no record of a law license under her married or maiden name. Similarly, a spokesperson for the State Bar of California told Newsweek it has "no record of Kate Sharon Zacharia or Kate Sharon Black (or Katie in both instances) having been licensed to practice law in California."

"One cannot take an American state bar exam in China. Bar exams are administered at designated testing locations in each state of the union," said Democratic Representative Ted Lieu.

Christopher Lee, founder of Foresight Strategies, said, "Any press secretary standing in the White House press room has to possess the political savvy, the media relationships and, most importantly, the credibility and trust that comes from both."

He added, "Starting with lying about being a bar-licensed attorney. I mean, that's an easily fact-checked item. But it got so much worse when she blamed the lie on, of all things, helicopter noise. Now, she's in negative territory on the credibility issue."

Zacharia was fired on October 16, just five days after starting the role.