The Lawyer Who May Not Be One
Katie Zacharia has long presented herself as a lawyer. She listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit, described herself as a lawyer during television appearances on outlets like Fox News and Newsmax, and was introduced by President Donald Trump as "an attorney" when he announced her appointment as White House press secretary. There is just one problem: no public record shows she is licensed to practice law in any US state, and the State Bar of California has confirmed it has no record of her holding a license under either her married or maiden name.
The Complaint and the California Law
The watchdog group Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the State Bar of California on Wednesday, asking it to investigate whether Zacharia violated state law by repeatedly presenting herself as a lawyer without a license. The group noted that California law treats it as a crime for someone to hold themselves out as entitled to practice law without an active license. "Ms. Zacharia has represented herself as a lawyer repeatedly to buttress her reputation and credibility as a television legal commentator and now as the White House spokesperson, yet it seems it was all a lie," said Michelle Kuppersmith, the group's executive director. "In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn't puffery; it's a crime."
What We Know
Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University's Caruso School of Law in 2011. But obtaining a law degree does not automatically qualify someone to practice law. According to the Wall Street Journal, she took the California bar exam after graduating but did not pass. She then moved to Beijing, where she worked as an associate on the international practice team at Zhong Lun Law Firm from 2011 to 2013. When asked by reporters where she had passed the bar, Zacharia replied: "When I moved to China." The problem with that explanation is that China's notoriously difficult National Unified Legal Professional Qualification Examination can only be taken by Chinese citizens.
As one expert in Chinese law told Snopes, "There's no possibility that she passed the Chinese bar exam, ever." Foreign nationals can work at Chinese law firms and perform certain legal tasks, but they cannot become licensed attorneys there. Zacharia later told Politico she had "practiced international transactional law, with all the appropriate credentials", but the White House has not clarified what certification she obtained in China.
The White House Response
The White House has defended Zacharia, maintaining confidence in her and suggesting she had authorization from her university to use the title "attorney." That explanation has not satisfied critics. The controversy is particularly awkward because Republicans have spent weeks attacking the Democratic candidate for US Senate in Michigan, Abdul El Sayed, for not being a doctor despite having gone to medical school.
As CNN noted, the issue is not that a law degree is required to be White House press secretary, it is not. The issue is that Zacharia repeatedly presented herself as a lawyer in her own words, and now there is no evidence she was ever licensed to do so. A CNN review found at least six instances where she referred to herself as a lawyer or corporate lawyer, and multiple other instances where she posted or reposted using the term "attorney" or "legal strategist."
The Briefing That Added to the Questions
The legal credentials controversy followed a rocky first appearance as press secretary on Tuesday. Zacharia read extensively from prepared notes during a briefing that lasted just 14 minutes. She took questions from only three news organizations, all considered sympathetic to Trump, and stumbled over some answers. At one point, she accidentally referred to the president as her husband.
She also announced that US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle had been asked to resign, a significant piece of news that was buried in the brevity of the session. Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, now a TV news host, compared the performance to a "Saturday Night Live" comedy sketch. Trump, however, praised Zacharia's debut, telling reporters: "I thought she was very good."
What Comes Next
The State Bar of California will now decide whether to investigate the complaint. If it finds that Zacharia violated the law, it could refer the matter to authorities. The controversy has also raised questions about the vetting process for White House appointments. Washington, DC, is filled with people who have law degrees but do not practice law, and there is no indication Zacharia ever attempted to represent anyone in court. But the repeated use of the title "lawyer" and "attorney", including by the president himself has created a political problem that is unlikely to disappear.
Zacharia succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down in August after becoming one of the most prominent public defenders of Trump's second administration. Whether Zacharia can move past the questions about her credentials and establish herself as an effective press secretary remains to be seen. For now, the new face of the White House is facing scrutiny not for what she says at the podium, but for what she said about herself long before she got there.