- Zacharia said she passed a bar exam “when I moved to China” but did not identify the jurisdiction.
- Searches of attorney records across five US states and Washington, DC, reportedly found no listing in her name.
- The White House has not clarified where she was admitted to practise law.
Donald Trump’s new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, is facing questions over her legal qualifications following her first official press briefing, after telling reporters she passed a bar exam “when I moved to China” without specifying where.
The remark has prompted scrutiny of her professional background, with a review by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) finding no listing for Zacharia in attorney registration records in New York, the District of Columbia, California, Texas and Florida. Independent journalist Judd Legum separately reported finding no evidence that she had been admitted to practise law in any of the 50 US states or Washington, DC.
However, the searches do not establish whether Zacharia passed a bar examination. Passing an exam and being formally admitted to practise law are separate steps, and the jurisdiction she was referring to remains unclear.
Zacharia has repeatedly described herself as a lawyer. Speaking to NewsNation, she said she had practised with “all the appropriate credentials”, but did not specify where she had qualified.
The White House did not immediately respond to SCMP’s request for comment, including a question about which jurisdiction had admitted her to practise. A White House official also did not directly answer NBC News when asked whether she had passed a bar exam.
What did Zacharia mean by passing a bar exam in China?
According to her LinkedIn profile, Zacharia worked as an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing between 2011 and 2013. The firm is among China’s largest legal practices.
A White House official said Zacharia moved to China with her husband after law school because of his job at an American private equity firm. She worked on international transaction law there before the couple returned to the US.
Her reference to China has raised further questions about where and when she took the examination. In 2011, eligibility rules for China’s national judicial examination required candidates to hold Chinese nationality, making foreign nationals ineligible to sit it.
Working at a Chinese law firm does not, by itself, establish that someone is licensed to practise Chinese law. SCMP has asked Zhong Lun to clarify Zacharia’s role and qualifications, but the firm did not immediately respond.
Who is Katie Zacharia?
Zacharia received her law degree from Pepperdine University and was named White House press secretary last week. Before taking up the role, she served as a spokeswoman at the Department of Homeland Security and as a senior communications adviser to Trump Media & Technology Group.
Her first briefing has placed her professional background under scrutiny at a time when the White House’s communications are also facing wider political criticism. However, the questions raised by her comments remain unresolved, and the available searches do not establish that she falsely claimed to have passed a bar examination.
