When President Donald Trump announced Katie Zacharia would be his new White House press secretary, he called her "an attorney."
Now, Zacharia, a conservative commentator who made her debut in the White House briefing room on Tuesday, is facing scrutiny over her credentials and how she has represented herself over the course of her career.
Journalist Judd Legum, who writes the Popular Information newsletter, wrote on Tuesday that Zacharia has long touted her credentials as a lawyer during appearances on national news outlets. Legum added that Zacharia was identified as a lawyer during at least 18 appearances on Fox News Channel since March 2025.
While Zacharia graduated with a law degree from Pepperdine University, Legum wrote that he found no evidence she has ever passed a bar exam in any state or Washington, D.C. Aspiring lawyers must normally pass a state’s bar exam before they can be licensed to practice law in that state. However, the criteria for admission to the bar are set by each state, according to the American Bar Association.
White House press secretary positions have no formal bar-admission requirement under publicly available White House employment guidelines; bar admission is not a prerequisite for the communications role.
On Tuesday, when a journalist asked which state Zacharia had passed the bar exam in, she replied: "When I moved to China." That has raised further questions about whether it is possible for her to have done so, and the legal work she has undertaken since.
"I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials," Zacharia said in a statement to Newsweek on Wednesday.
Here, Newsweek looks at the questions that have arisen about Zacharia’s legal career.
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Has She Ever Passed a US Bar Exam?
There is no evidence that Zacharia ever passed a bar exam or has been admitted to practice law in any U.S. state or D.C., according to Legum. A spokesperson for the State Bar of California, where Zacharia resides, told The Washington Post that it "has no record of Kate Sharon Zacharia or Kate Sharon Black having been licensed to practice law in California." Newsweek has contacted the State Bar for further comment and is awaiting a response.
Zacharia did not respond to Newsweek's questions asking if she was ever licensed to practice law in the United States or if she had ever taken or passed a bar exam in any state.
Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and government in 2007, and a law degree in 2011, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She went on to work as an associate on the international practice team at the law firm Zhong Lun in Beijing from August 2011 until June 2013, her profile said.
It added that she worked full-time as general counsel for Fix California, a nonprofit founded by Trump ally Richard Grenell, from January 2024 to March 2025.
It is not clear what work Zacharia did in that role. However, a general counsel is an organization’s chief in-house lawyer, typically tasked with overseeing legal issues and advice across the organization.
Newsweek has contacted Zhong Lun and Fix California for comment via email and awaits their responses.
Can Americans Take a Bar Exam in China?
Bar examinations in the United States are administered by individual states and are held at designated testing locations within those jurisdictions. This means it would not be possible for Zacharia to have taken one in China.
"One cannot take an American state bar exam in China. Bar exams are administered at designated testing locations in each state of the union," Democratic California Representative Ted Lieu, who is an attorney, wrote on X.
Experts say that, even if Zacharia worked for a law firm in China, she would not have been admitted to the bar there; it is only available to Chinese citizens.
"She could not have passed the PRC [People’s Republic of China] bar exam, either, since you have to be a PRC national to take it," Donald C. Clarke, a professor at George Washington University Law School who specializes in Chinese law, told the Post.
Clarke said that firms such as Zhong Lun can hire foreigners to do certain tasks. "But the person still would not be allowed do anything that required a PRC or foreign bar qualification to do," he said.
What Is the Difference Between a Lawyer and Attorney?
The dispute has also focused attention on the distinction between a lawyer and an attorney.
While some say that a lawyer is an individual with a law degree and an attorney is someone with an active license to practice law, experts told Newsweek the terms are generally interchangeable.
"There is no difference between the two. They each imply that a person is licensed to provide legal services," Stephen Gillers, a professor at New York University School of Law, told Newsweek.
Leonard Niehoff, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, agreed.
"In my view, the terms are interchangeable and refer to a legal professional who is authorized by the relevant jurisdiction to practice law and represent clients," Niehoff told Newsweek.
"If there is a distinction, I don't think it helps Katie Zacharia, because she has apparently held herself out as an ‘attorney’ and has not corrected others who have referred to her as an ‘attorney.’"
Could She Face Consequences?
Both also noted there could be legal consequences for falsely claiming to be a licensed attorney.
"In all American transactions, falsely holding yourself out as an attorney or a lawyer is unlawful and, in some places, it is a crime," Gillers said.
Niehoff added that "most, if not all, states have laws that prohibit the unauthorized practice of law. This usually includes falsely or misleadingly suggesting to the public that you are licensed to practice law."
"In many jurisdictions, the unauthorized practice of law is a crime, so the consequences of misrepresenting your status can be serious."
Zacharia says she worked as general counsel for a nonprofit in California. There, state law says that anyone "advertising or holding himself or herself out as practicing or entitled to practice law or otherwise practicing law" when they do not have an active license at the time is guilty of a misdemeanor. It is punishable by up to one year in a county jail or by a fine of up to $1,000, or both.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and James Debens