Trump's Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Failed California Bar Exam in 2011, Report Says, Amid Lawyer Claims

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia reportedly failed California's bar examination in 2011, adding to scrutiny of her legal credentials. The report follows a complaint by Campaign for Accountability asking the State Bar of California to investigate her public descriptions of herself as a lawyer and her work as general counsel for Fix California.

Zacharia has defended her professional experience, including her work at a Chinese law firm. The State Bar has confirmed that it has no record of her being licensed in California, although that statement does not establish her licensing status elsewhere.

Katie Zacharia Reportedly Failed California Bar Exam

According to The Wall Street Journal, Zacharia took the California bar examination after graduating from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2011 but did not pass.

Later that year, she reportedly moved to Beijing. Her professional profile lists her as an associate at the Chinese law firm Zhong Lun from 2011 to 2013.

Zacharia has described her work in China as international transactional law, according to The New York Times. Employment at a Chinese law firm does not, by itself, establish admission to practise law.

The newspaper reported that foreign nationals cannot obtain a Chinese lawyer's licence, although Chinese firms can employ them in other roles, including work involving cross-border transactions.

Forbes reported that it remained unclear whether Zacharia had subsequently retaken the California examination or sat a bar examination in another state.

Watchdog Seeks Investigation Into Zacharia's Lawyer Claims

Campaign for Accountability, a non-profit watchdog organisation, filed its complaint with the State Bar of California on 14 October 2026.

According to the organisation's announcement, the complaint identified at least 18 Fox News appearances since March 2025 in which Zacharia was described on screen as a lawyer. It also cited her own public statements, including an appearance on The Greg Kelly Show on 5 October 2026, during which she said, 'I'm a lawyer'.

The organisation also asked the State Bar to examine whether her work as general counsel for Fix California amounted to unauthorised legal practice.

Section 6126(a) of California's Business and Professions Code covers practising law, or holding oneself out as practising or entitled to practise, without State Bar membership or other authorisation recognised by statute or court rule.

Whether Zacharia's statements or work fall within that provision has not been established by the complaint. The filing is a request for an investigation, not a finding of wrongdoing.

Zacharia told The New York Times that Pepperdine's president advised her to avoid the titles 'attorney' and 'esquire' but said she could describe herself as a 'lawyer'. That account represents her explanation of the advice she received.

Zacharia Says She Misheard Bar Exam Question

Questions about Zacharia's qualifications also followed an exchange with reporters on 13 October, the day of her first White House press briefing.

A reporter asked Trump which state Zacharia had passed the bar examination in. Trump turned to her, and she replied, 'When I moved to China', The New York Times reported.

Zacharia later told the newspaper that noise from Marine One had prevented her from hearing clearly. She said she believed she had been asked where she went after law school.

The newspaper reported that it could not find a licence for Zacharia in California or elsewhere she had lived in the United States.

California State Bar Confirms No Record of Zacharia's Licence

The State Bar of California said it had no record of Zacharia being licensed under either her married or maiden name.

A spokesperson said: 'The State Bar of California has no record of Kate Sharon Zacharia or Kate Sharon Black (or Katie in both instances) having been licensed to practice law in California.'

Black is Zacharia's maiden name. The spokesperson also explained that confidentiality rules restrict disclosures about examination histories, saying the State Bar could confirm whether someone had passed the examination but not whether they had taken it.

The statement establishes the absence of a California licensing record, not the reported examination failure itself. That claim remains attributed to the Journal's source, while questions about any subsequent examination or professional authorisation remain unresolved.