White House press secretary Katie Zacharia failed to pass the California bar exam when she took it after graduating from law school, according to a senior administration official.
The official argued that Zacharia could technically be considered an “attorney,” but not an attorney. President Donald Trump called Zacharia a “lawyer” in his Truth Social post announcing he was tapping her as his press secretary.
But several lawyers told NBC News that the term “attorney” generally refers to someone who has passed the bar exam and is licensed to practice law.
Zacharia’s failure to pass the bar exam was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The new White House press secretary is facing questions about her legal credentials after the White House did not clarify whether Zacharia, who has repeatedly presented herself as a lawyer, had passed the bar exam.
NBC News found no evidence that she is licensed to practice law in any state. Zacharia, a Pepperdine Law graduate, said she practiced law in China. Legal experts told NBC News that only Chinese citizens can take the Chinese bar exam. An expert told NBC News that Zacharia could have consulted on cross-border legal matters.
The State Bar of California and the D.C. Bar did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether Zacharia could be considered an “attorney.” Zacharia lived in California but said she would move to Washington, D.C., for her new job.
The New York Times previously reported that Zacharia said in an interview that before she began appearing in cable interviews, she spoke with Pepperdine’s president about how to identify herself. Zacharia told the New York Times that he was told it was OK to use “attorney,” but not “attorney” or “squire.” Pepperdine did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Wednesday, representatives of the Democracy Defenders Fund, which frequently opposes the Trump administration, asked California Attorney General Rob Bonta and George Cardona, chief prosecutor at the State Bar of California, to investigate whether Zacharia “engaged in the unauthorized practice of law.” Cardona’s office is investigating possible attorney misconduct.
“Falsely representing oneself as a lawyer is a criminal offense punishable by a fine or imprisonment of up to one year in prison,” the letter states.
Signatories to the letter included Norm Eisen, co-founder of the Democracy Defenders Fund, as well as Richard Painter, who served as President George W. Bush’s ethics lawyer. Painter, now a law professor at the University of Minnesota, has criticized Trump. Painter does not work at the Democracy Defenders Fund.
The California attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.
A spokesperson for the State Bar of California told NBC News that the bar “cannot confirm whether it has received a complaint or is conducting an investigation,” citing confidentiality requirements.
Contacted for comment, the White House referenced a message from White House communications director Steven Cheung who criticized another group that had asked the State Bar of California to investigate Zacharia. In the post, Cheung called the watchdog group Campaign for Accountability “a radical left-wing organization run by rabid assholes suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Cheung also said in a statement that Zacharia “is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team.”
“She is uniquely qualified and smart to help inform the American people about all the great things that President Trump and his administration have done, and she will do an incredible job as press secretary,” he said.
The White House also referenced an earlier statement from Zacharia in which she said she “practices international transactions law, with all appropriate qualifications.”
A spokesperson for the State Bar of California previously told NBC News that the state had no records indicating Zacharia had been licensed to practice law in the state. The spokesperson said she had never “been on any California bar exam passing list” but declined to say whether she had ever taken the bar exam, citing confidentiality requirements.
Gn headline
