The Independent reported that Campaign for Accountability asked the State Bar of California to review White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia’s public claims about her legal credentials after a bar-exam answer drew scrutiny.
The outlet said the complaint, filed this week, alleged Zacharia had publicly presented herself as entitled to practice law without a license, conduct Campaign for Accountability said California treats as a crime. Separately, the group’s Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith urged the bar to determine whether Zacharia’s remarks had misled the public about her qualifications.
The Independent reported that Zacharia’s first press briefing took place Oct. 13 and lasted 14 minutes. Her answer to the bar-exam question was, “When I moved to China.” She later told The New York Times that she thought the reporter had asked where she had been after law school. “I assumed the question was, ‘Where were you after law school?’” Zacharia said. She said Marine One’s noise left her hearing only part of the question. She also cited the distance behind President Donald Trump and her wish to respect protocol as reasons she did not move closer.
The Independent reported that Zacharia attended law school at Pepperdine University and graduated in 2011, then worked for Chinese firm Zhong Long. While at the firm, she used the term “outside counsel” in describing work connected to the World Bank and International Finance Corporation. The outlet said it found no evidence that she had been admitted to practice law in any U.S. state. It also reported that she used the lawyer designation in multiple media appearances before joining the White House. Trump’s Truth Social post announcing her appointment called her an attorney, according to the report.
The White House defended Zacharia’s background, The Independent reported. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded on X, calling Campaign for Accountability a “radical leftist organization” and saying “nobody takes them seriously.”
