USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Reporters Question Katie Zacharia’s Bar Exam Answer After Trump Names Her Press Secretary
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Zacharia claimed bar exam in China, prompting credential questions. Questions about Pepperdine degree and overall legal credentials emerged.
Bar exam in China
President Donald Trump introduced Katie Zacharia as an attorney, and reporters pressed her about where she passed the bar exam during her first White House briefing. Katie Zacharia told reporters, “When I moved to China,” after a question asked “Where did you pass the bar exam?” and after Trump turned to her and asked “which state?” The White House said in a statement that “Katie moved to China with her husband after graduation due to his work at a U.S. private equity firm,” while it also said it had not decided whether Zacharia obtained a license to practice law in the United States.
Pepperdine University confirmed that Zacharia earned a law degree in 2011, and the White House said she worked in the field of international transactions law while in China. Jad Legom raised questions about her membership in the bar association, noting that she was not admitted to the California Bar, as the controversy focused on the exam she said she passed in China.
Credentials and performance
A White House official told reporters that Zacharia moved to China with her husband after graduating because of his job at a U.S private equity firm while she worked on international transaction law, but the official did not confirm where she passed the bar exam. Katie Zacharia later told NewsNation, “I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials,” as questions continued about whether she holds a professional license in the United States.
The Hill reported that Zacharia’s debut briefing lasted just under fifteen minutes and that she took three questions, while the White House communications director Steven Cheung praised her as a “fabulous and wonderful addition to the team.” Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki mocked the briefing on social media, saying, “Well that briefing was basically an SNL skit…except it wasn't,” as Trump praised Zacharia and said, “I thought she was very good.”
What comes next
The White House said it had not decided whether Katie Zacharia obtained a license to practice law in the United States, even as it described her background in international transactions law. Pepperdine’s Caruso School of Law confirmed Zacharia was an alumna and a member of its Dean’s Council, and Pepperdine also said, “Pepperdine is proud to count Katie among our alumni, former colleagues, and friends.” Mark Jia, a Georgetown University law professor, said foreign nationals aren’t eligible to sit for the Chinese bar exam and generally “cannot qualify as Chinese lawyers,” while he added that unless Zacharia has a law license it would be inaccurate to represent herself as an attorney.
The scrutiny also extended to whether Zacharia could have taken a Chinese bar exam, with the Washington Post describing her claim as made in a country where noncitizens aren’t allowed to practice in courtrooms. The controversy left the White House “scrambl[ing]” to answer questions about Zacharia’s background, as the debate centered on her claim of passing a bar exam in China and the lack of a confirmed U.S. license.