WASHINGTON — New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is facing scrutiny following new reports that she described herself as a lawyer despite not passing a bar exam.
Zacharia, 42, failed the California bar exam after graduating from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing a person familiar with her experience.
The press secretary told the New York Times in a phone interview Wednesday that she had asked Pepperdine’s president how to describe herself after graduating and was told to avoid the phrase “attorney” or “esquire,” but given a green light to say “lawyer.”
Intense interest in Zacharia’s legal credentials emerged Tuesday after Popular Information reported that her name could not be found on any lists of attorneys admitted to any state bars.
After a nervous performance at her 14-minute debut press briefing Tuesday, she told a journalist on the White House lawn she passed the bar “when I moved to China.”
Zacharia told the Times she misheard the question and meant to say that after graduating Pepperdine Law, she moved to China, working for two years at Beijing-based Zhong Lun Law Firm.
Her LinkedIn profile describes her as an associate in the international practice team.
Later, in 2024 and 2025, Zacharia was listed as working as general counsel of Fix California, a conservative group founded by former acting intelligence director Ric Grenell.
