Trump’s New Mouthpiece Cornered on Mysterious Legal Credentials

Photo Illustration by Eric Faison/The Daily Beast/Getty White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia is facing questions about a major part of her career background.

Zacharia, 41, was pressed by reporters after her first briefing Tuesday to say where she passed the bar exam, amid questions about her claim to be an attorney.

She did not appear to name a state, instead saying she passed it “when I moved to China.” Zacharia has long claimed to be an attorney, calling herself such on LinkedIn and having Fox News and other cable news channels use that as her title.

But she does not appear to be actually licensed to practice law in any U.S. state.

There is no evidence that Zacharia has ever passed a bar exam or has been admitted to the bar in any state, independent outlet, Popular Information, found .

More concerningly, there is no evidence showing she is licensed in the state she claims to practice in: California.

A review conducted by the Daily Beast also found that Zacharia has not passed the bar in California.

She is a graduate of Pepperdine University’s law school, which the school touted on its social media upon Zacharia getting her new role.

She claims on her LinkedIn to have worked as “General Counsel” for Fix California, a right-wing nonprofit organization founded by Trump ally Ric Grenell.

Her resume indicates that she was in that role for just over a year, from January 2024 to March 2025.

Zacharia is also not listed as a member of the State Bar of Texas or as a member of the D.C.

Bar, two other places where she claims to have worked as an attorney.

Long before her MAGA transformation, Zacharia lived in Beijing, China, from 2011 to 2013, with her husband, Tyler .

While there, she worked as a corporate lawyer at Compassion for Migrant Children, according to her LinkedIn.