White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is facing scrutiny over her legal credentials after she told reporters Tuesday that she passed the bar exam when she moved to China. The comment, which raised eyebrows among legal experts, has prompted a watchdog group to file a formal complaint with the State Bar of California, alleging she may have illegally held herself out as a lawyer.
The Campaign for Accountability, a nonprofit ethics group, filed the complaint Wednesday, asking the bar to investigate whether Zacharia violated state law by repeatedly referring to herself as an attorney despite not being licensed in any U.S. jurisdiction. The group pointed to her public appearances and her LinkedIn profile, which lists her as having served as “general counsel” for Fix California, a group founded by former Trump official Richard Grenell, and as an “associate” at Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing from 2011 to 2013.
Zacharia, who earned her law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011, has not provided evidence of a U.S. bar license. The Popular Information newsletter first reported that she is not licensed in California, Washington, D.C., or any other state. The White House has not responded to requests for documentation, and Steven Cheung, the communications director, dismissed the complaint as the work of “radical leftist-organization run by rabid numbskulls.”
Legal scholars who study Chinese law told The Hill that Zacharia’s claim to have passed a bar exam in China is highly unlikely. Taisu Zhang, a Yale Law School professor, noted that American citizens are generally barred from taking the Chinese bar exam. “I don’t believe that she could have taken the Chinese bar exam,” he said, adding that he would be curious to learn if she had somehow arranged an exception. Donald Clarke, a George Washington University law professor, cited a Chinese law provision requiring Chinese nationality for bar eligibility.
Zhang and other experts suggested that Zacharia could have worked in a legal capacity in China without being a licensed attorney. International law firms often allow junior associates to perform transactional work before passing a bar, though they typically face limits on their duties. Mark Jia, a Georgetown law professor, said on X that Zacharia’s role likely fell under the category of “foreign legal consultant,” a designation for foreign-trained lawyers who advise on international law. “It is possible that she wasn’t barred anywhere when she took on this role,” Jia wrote, though he noted such a situation would have been “somewhat rare.”
The controversy has drawn attention to Zacharia’s public statements. Judd Legum, the journalist behind Popular Information, compiled examples of her referring to herself as a lawyer on television. President Trump also called her an “attorney” when announcing her appointment last week. The State Bar of California confirmed it has no record of a license for Zacharia under her current or maiden name, Kate Sharon Black.
Michelle Kuppersmith, executive director of the Campaign for Accountability, said in a statement that “calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn’t puffery; it’s a crime.” She urged the bar to investigate and hold Zacharia accountable if she misled the public. The complaint adds to the early turbulence of Zacharia’s tenure, which has already seen skepticism about her readiness and even a jab from former Trump aide Anthony Scaramucci, who said the “clock is running” on her. As the story develops, the White House has offered no further details, leaving questions about her qualifications unanswered.
