Trump's new press secretary faces questions about her legal credentials
A search of bar records in all 50 states found no evidence she is licensed to practice law, according to Popular Information.
- Popular Information reported on Tuesday that researcher Judd Legum found no record of Press Secretary Katie Zacharia being admitted to practice law in any United States jurisdiction after searching all 50 state bar associations and Washington, D.C.
- President Donald Trump appointed Zacharia last week, describing her as an "attorney" in a Truth Social post. Zacharia has repeatedly identified herself as a lawyer during media appearances, citing her past work in China as professional evidence.
- Records indicate foreign nationals are ineligible to take the bar exam in China, and practicing as a "Foreign Representative Attorney" requires two years of prior home-country experience—a requirement Zacharia lacked when joining the Beijing-headquartered Zhong Lun Law Firm shortly after graduating in 2011.
- When reporters pressed her, Zacharia claimed she passed a bar exam "when I moved to China" but declined to identify the jurisdiction. The White House Press Office declined to provide details, referring inquiries to President Donald Trump's Truth Social post.
- Zacharia previously served as "General Counsel" for the California-based nonprofit Fix California from January 2024 to March 2025. Under California law, holding oneself out as an attorney without being licensed to practice is a crime, raising potential legal questions about her past role.
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Psaki Bashes New Press Sec, Worries About Trump ‘Hacking Away' ‘Press Freedoms’
MS NOW/SnapStream On Tuesday night, after the debut of Katie Zacharia as the new Trump White House Press Secretary, former Biden press secretary turned MS NOW primetime host, Jen Psaki, took her turn in bashing the person who now holds her old job. In the process, she said she jokingly missed former press secretary Karoline Leavitt while also warning the Trump Administration had been “systematically hacking away” at “press freedoms.”Psaki, know…
Jen Psaki mocks Trump’s new press secretary, questions if she’s a 'potentially fake lawyer' - NEW YORK TIMES POST
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki mocked President Donald Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia on Tuesday, following Zacharia’s first White House briefing. Psaki questioned Zacharia’s legal credentials after citing reports that researchers could not verify her admission to a state bar. The former Biden [...]
Analysis by Zachary B. Wolf, CNN The press secretary is supposed to manage the narrative of the news, not become the news.In that fundamental aspect, the White House's new chief spokesman, Katie Zacharia, is having difficulties.She has presented herself as a lawyer, but does not meet the requirements of her state of
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