Donald Trump’s newly appointed press secretary, Katie Zacharia, is facing questions about whether she is properly licensed to practice law after a watchdog group filed a complaint with the State Bar of California. Multiple outlets report that the group alleges she has repeatedly held herself out as a lawyer without a verifiable U.S. law license.
The scrutiny intensified after Zacharia’s first days in the role, including an appearance where she gave an unclear response when asked where she passed the bar exam, saying: “when I moved to China.” Reporters also found no public record of a U.S. bar license in states where she previously lived, and California’s state bar reportedly confirmed it has no record under her maiden or married name. Zacharia says she has the “appropriate credentials” and that she did international transaction law, but she did not clearly specify where she was admitted to the bar.
Outlets also describe a rocky first briefing, during which Zacharia relied heavily on prepared notes and drew criticism for her performance. Trump praised her debut, while some media accounts note she succeeded Karoline Leavitt as press secretary after Leavitt stepped down earlier.
