Katie Zacharia Says She Handed the Bar Examination in … China?

Photograph: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Name, Inc by way of Getty Pictures

New White Home press secretary Katie Zacharia’s first briefing on Tuesday morning sparked numerous jokes about Anthony Scaramucci, who infamously served as White Home communications director for simply 11 days. However maybe that comparability will show to be just a little unfair … to Scaramucci.

Simply moments after her poorly acquired 14-minute press convention, Zacharia stepped in it once more when requested a fundamental query about her credentials as a lawyer, or lack thereof.

Zacharia joined President Trump exterior the White Home as he took a couple of questions earlier than heading to Alaska for a rally. After the president praised Zacharia’s efficiency, a reporter requested what appeared like a easy query: The place did the brand new press secretary, who has repeatedly recognized herself as a lawyer, move the bar examination?

Trump turned to Zacharia to let her reply. “Once I moved to China,” she mentioned.

When he introduced final week that Zacharia would change Karoline Leavitt as press secretary, President Trump mentioned his new rent was “an legal professional.” That can be how Zacharia launched herself in dozens of media appearances, in addition to in her social-media bio. We all know she is a graduate of Pepperdine College’s regulation college; Zacharia posted images of her commencement on-line, and the varsity congratulated her as an alumna when she obtained the White Home job.

However merely graduating from regulation college doesn’t make you a working towards legal professional. It’s a must to be admitted to a bar. And in a Tuesday story printed on his Common Info Substack, Judd Legum reported that he may discover no proof of Zacharia ever passing a bar examination in any state:

But, there isn’t any proof that Zacharia ever handed a bar examination or has been admitted to observe regulation in any state. She is just not listed as a member of the State Bar of California, the state the place she lives. In line with her LinkedIn account, she labored as “Normal Counsel” for a nonprofit within the state referred to as Repair California. Zacharia can be not listed as a member of the State Bar of Texas or as a member of the D.C. Bar, two different locations the place she labored.

Common Info looked for proof in all 50 states, plus D.C., that Zacharia was admitted to observe regulation wherever — and located none.

It isn’t believable that Zacharia may have handed the bar whereas residing in China. Some states provided distant bar exams in 2020 and 2021, however that was not an possibility pre-pandemic. It seems Zacharia labored at Zhong Lun, a big Chinese language regulation agency, from 2011 to 2013. She couldn’t have taken the Chinese language examination throughout that point, as Mediaite defined:

China doesn’t enable noncitizens to affix the bar affiliation and even sit for the Chinese language bar examination. The examination is broadly reported to be notoriously troublesome and is just administered in Chinese language. Zacharia’s reported conversational however “fundamental” information of Chinese language appears unlikely to be on the degree wanted to succeed on that check, even when she have been permitted to take it. (There isn’t any proof she has twin citizenship.)

Foreigners admitted in different jurisdictions are solely allowed to work for Chinese language regulation corporations to supply authorized recommendation concerning their dwelling jurisdictions, however they should have already practiced regulation for no less than two years of their dwelling nation first earlier than legally being allowed to observe as a “International Consultant Legal professional.” Zacharia’s work for the Zhong Lun agency started inside months after her commencement; she couldn’t have presumably accomplished two years of labor as an legal professional earlier than then, even when she had really handed a bar examination in an American jurisdiction.

The White Home has identified that Judd Legum was wanting into Zacharia’s authorized credentials since Sunday. From his report:

On Sunday, Common Info emailed White Home Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly with detailed questions on Zacharia’s skilled historical past, together with whether or not she was ever admitted to observe regulation in any state. Common Info acquired the next response from a common White Home Press Workplace e-mail account: “Refer you to the President’s TRUTH on Katie.” That’s the social media publish that calls Zacharia an legal professional.

Thus far, Zacharia has not defined what she meant when she mentioned she handed the bar “after I moved to China.” She shared this response with a number of shops on Tuesday afternoon:

It is vitally doable that Zacharia labored at Zhong Lun in some non-attorney function. Nevertheless it appears she’s sticking by the declare that she “practiced … regulation” there with out explaining the place she handed the bar. As Legum famous, this isn’t only a query of semantics; in California, the place Zacharia mentioned she labored as “common counsel” for a a right-wing nonprofit from January 2024 to March 2025, misrepresenting your self as an legal professional is against the law:

It’s unclear, precisely, what work Zacharia did as Normal Counsel for Repair California. If she was engaged within the observe of regulation, which is typical work for a common counsel, with out being an legal professional, she would have violated state regulation.

So, it looks as if Zacharia has some extra explaining to do. However to be honest, how was she presupposed to know she’d have to reply detailed questions on whether or not she’s an precise lawyer? It’s not just like the White Home has identified about this story for days, and it’s her job to anticipate reporters’ questions and craft a reputable response! Oh, wait …