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Katie Zacharia’s Lawyer Credentials Questioned After White House Appointment

Wall Street Journal report finds the newly appointed White House press secretary was never licensed to practice law in the United States despite repeatedly describing herself publicly as an attorney

Questions are mounting over the professional credentials of White House press secretary Katie Zacharia after a report revealed that she never obtained a license to practice law in the United States, despite repeatedly identifying herself publicly as an attorney and being introduced as one by President Donald Trump when he announced her appointment.

According to a Wall Street Journal investigation, Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2011 and later attempted to qualify for the California bar exam but was unsuccessful. Records reviewed by the newspaper reportedly show that her name does not appear on the rolls of licensed attorneys in California, Texas, or Washington, D.C., under either her maiden or married name.

The issue has drawn particular attention because legal credentials featured prominently in Zacharia’s public profile before joining the White House. During television appearances, she frequently framed her commentary by telling audiences, “As a lawyer …” The description also stood alongside a series of legal and policy-related positions she held over recent years.

From January 2024 through March 2025, Zacharia served as head of legal affairs for the conservative organization Fix California. The disclosure that she was not licensed to practice law has prompted renewed scrutiny of how she presented her professional qualifications while working in legal-related roles and appearing in the media.

After leaving the United States for Beijing with her husband, Zacharia joined the prominent Chinese law firm Zhong Lun, where she worked on international transactions and multimillion-dollar deals involving U.S. companies and multinational corporations. A source cited by the Journal said a U.S. law license was not required for her duties because foreign associates at the firm operated as international legal consultants rather than licensed attorneys practicing domestic law.

Pressed on Tuesday about which U.S. jurisdiction had granted her legal license, Zacharia did not identify any state. Instead, she initially replied, “When I moved to China.” Shortly afterward, she clarified her background, saying, “I practiced in the field of international transactional law, with all the appropriate credentials.”

In the United States, practicing law generally requires admission to a state bar, and some states impose criminal penalties on individuals who represent themselves as attorneys without being licensed. The White House has defended Zacharia, describing her as “extremely qualified” and emphasizing that Trump did not hire her to perform legal work.

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