This week, the new White House press secretary started work. Katie Zacharia, a bleach-blonde who can barely read, has given a handful of shaky press briefings this week from the White House podium. Aaron Rupar said that Zacharia makes Karoline Leavitt look like Winston Churchill. While I cannot stand any single person working for this trash administration, I will also acknowledge that Zacharia is basically “fresh meat” for an out-of-touch White House press corps. They would prefer not to do the legwork on all of the horrible, illegal, immoral crap the Trumpers are actually doing, so the press corps busied themselves with crawling up the new press secretary’s backside. What they found is that she lied about something pretty big on her CV: she never passed a bar exam, she’s never been licensed to practice law, and it looks like she sort of “practiced law” in China. She also called herself a lawyer, an attorney and “general counsel.” Liar liar diaper on fire.
Is President Trump’s new press secretary a lawyer — or did she just play one on TV? Three days into her job, Katie Zacharia is facing questions about whether she has embroidered her credentials. She describes herself as a lawyer, and the president called her “an attorney.” When she was asked on Tuesday in which state she passed the bar exam, she twice replied, “When I moved to China.” Huh?
The moment capped off a shaky debut for the woman who has accepted what is perhaps the most challenging public relations post in the United States. Now she was struggling to tell her own story.
On Wednesday evening, she told The New York Times that this whole mishegas over “lawyer,” “attorney,” and “China,” has been one big misunderstanding.
“I assumed the question was, ‘Where were you after law school?’” she said, taking a quick phone call on the tarmac in Arizona, where the president was holding a midterm rally.
“That’s all I could hear over the sound of Marine One,” she said. “And, wanting to respect protocol, the distance behind the president, kept me from moving closer to hear the question.”
It was only her second day on the job, she pointed out.
So here’s the truth about Katie Zacharia, not-quite attorney-at-law: She graduated with a law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011. By some interpretations, that technically makes her a lawyer, though many legal experts said it would not. But is she an attorney, someone who is licensed to practice law and give legal advice? For that, she would have needed to pass the bar. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that she sat for the California bar exam after graduating law school, but didn’t pass. The Times was unable to find a law license for her in California, or anywhere else she has lived in the United States.
During the brief phone call Wednesday, The Times did not get a chance to press her again about whether she had ever passed a bar exam. But before she had to go, she did explain that when she first began appearing on cable news, she consulted with Pepperdine’s president as to how she should identify herself. She said she was warned not to use the words “attorney” or “esquire,” but that “lawyer” was OK. But what about “general counsel,” would that be OK? Because, on LinkedIn, Ms. Zacharia identified herself as such for Fix California, a group led by Trump loyalist Richard Grenell.
“You can’t be a general counsel to a company in the United States unless you’re admitted to the bar to practice law,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the law school at the University of California, Berkeley. “A general counsel implies that you’re practicing law, giving legal advice to the company. You can’t practice law without a license.”
On Wednesday, a watchdog group filed a complaint with the State Bar of California, calling for an investigation into whether Ms. Zacharia “repeatedly held herself out to the public as entitled to practice law without a license to do so, conduct California law treats as a crime.”
There’s also a lengthy discussion about whether she lied about being a lawyer in China as well – she claimed that she did legal work at a law firm in China. While she might have technically worked at a law firm, it’s extremely unlikely she was given any legal work or any work requiring a law license. But you get the idea – she graduated from law school, took the California bar, flunked it and then started telling everyone (including employers) that she was a licensed lawyer. Kind of hope the Bar Association rips her to shreds.
Fun update: This lying heifer has already been fired as press secretary.
BREAKING: Katie Zacharia ‘transitioning out’ of job as Trump’s press secretary, senior White House official tells @pdoocy https://t.co/FJb9QCZwZh
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 16, 2026
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia conducts her first press briefing in the James S Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington Featuring: Katie Zacharia Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 13 Oct 2026 Credit: Ron Sachs/CNP/INSTARimages
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- White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia conducts her first press briefing in the James S Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington Featuring: Katie Zacharia Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 13 Oct 2026 Credit: Ron Sachs/CNP/INSTARimages
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- White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia conducts her first press briefing in the James S Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington Featuring: Katie Zacharia Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 13 Oct 2026 Credit: Ron Sachs/CNP/INSTARimages
The person I saw who said “I’m not lying enough on my resume.” made me laugh.
It is wild to me that anyone would accept a position with so much scrutiny and potential for exposure knowing they lied about something so huge. It’s wildly stupid. Especially since the Narc in Chief is NOT going to protect her at his own expense and she’s making him look as stupid and incompetent as he is. When (not if) she gets fired, she’s not going to be able to go back to her previous position and claims about being a lawyer. She basically blew up her cushy life and house of lies for nothing.
Dumb as hell.
Even dumber. Trump would have accepted her anyways if she would’ve said the truth. Fit for the position is not even a criteria for selection in this administration
The criteria for the position is his opinion of the applicants’ headshots
The criteria for all positions in this regime is least qualified person for the job.
all of this. I’ve never understood people lying about ish that’s easily verifiable with a 15-20 minute Google search! LOL!
And she’s out! Lasted less than Scaramucci.
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!! Fired! She made King Stoopid look stupid. He couldn’t tolerate that.
LOL 💯
‘It is wild to me that anyone would accept a position with so much scrutiny and potential for exposure knowing they lied about something so huge. It’s wildly stupid. ‘
It’s actually very trumpian. And now she’s gone. Didn’t even last a full Scaramucci.
I had an acquaintance who went to law but didn’t take the bar because of personal reasons and worked as a paralegal. Why lie when it can be verified? She’s a moron.
This is typical of this administration—lying liars who LIE.
Lying liars to LIE and GET AWAY WITH IT.
She’s even lying about her lies!
If you think a question is “Where were you after law school?” then “When I moved to China” is NOT a sensical or grammatically correct response.
Let alone the fact that no one would assume a reporter’s first question to the new WH Press Sec would be “Where did you go after you graduated law school 15 years ago?”
@DK, THANK YOU! Even her cover-up makes absolutely zero sense.
Where are the MAGAs?
Zelensky continues to bomb data centers so maybe that’s why the MAGAs are so quiet!? LOL
Will she last a full Scaramucci?
It’s Friday, and I’m surprised she hasn’t quit/been fired yet.
LOL that was my exact first thought – she may not last a Scaramucci!
Looks like half a Scaramucci — saw on the news just now that she’s “transitioning out of the role”!
But they said that she’s “moving to a different role in the administration!” (ABC News)
Lol, she’s out now! Five whole days.
Saw the clip of Sean Hannity, likely doing Trump’s bidding, interviewing her. It was like a mercy killing. She’s done.
I’d like to hear more from the people making this claim: “By some interpretations, that technically makes her a lawyer”.
That is simply not true.
Agree. She can say that she studied law or that she went to law school, both admirable enough on their own. But she chose the lazy, republican way of representing herself – she lied.
No doubt the Pepperdine president’s phone is ringing off the hook. I can’t wait to hear the response.
I am VERY curious about that. She sure threw that person under the bus. Is it at all plausible that the president of Pepperdine University took her phone call about this issue? This is something that all law students learn in a required class on legal ethics.
Trump doesn’t object to lies. He just doesn’t like other people’s lies making him look bad. His whole presidency is based on lies.
The fact that I’m not even having a shocked reaction is a bit scary. Feels like just another day…
Calling yourself a lawyer when you’re not a lawyer (and having a JD does not make you a lawyer, it makes you a law school graduate) is actually a crime in some jurisdictions.
Graphynya Heather, there is no such thing as crime in Trump’s jurisdiction.
There absolutely is. But it’s only committed by Democrats, especially if you’re brown or black. Then breathing is a crime.
Fake it ’til you make it, I guess.
I imagine her job interview went something like this:
1. Are you bleach blonde?
2. Will you tell any lie, no matter how absurd?
If the answer to both questions is “yes”, you’re qualified!
bonus points for
1. bad makeup
2. plastic surgery
3. willingness to show cleavage at work
That’s golden!
This is so stupid because you don’t need to be an attorney to be the WH Press Secretary. Attorney here – there’s a whole character and fitness part to the bar where they look at not just your character but your credit, any civil or criminal proceedings you’ve been involved with as a party, etc. and she just ensured she can never be admitted anywhere by having impersonated a lawyer.
As the poster said upthread it’s not a technicality. You are either an attorney admitted to the bar in the USA or you are not. Even Kim K doesn’t hold herself out to be a lawyer because she’s done legal work.
I’m really curious what her MPRE score was.
A press secretary doesn’t need a law degree but does need a reputation for honesty; she cannot be trusted
Exactly right. She won’t be admitted to the bar in any state (or DC) at this point. She, like so many before her, blew up her future for Trump.
I’ve got a feeling even FOX won’t take her as a commentator, not after that Hannity interview.
Agree with both your takes Lightpurple and FYI. Another trump casualty. I feel like if you sell your soul to be adjacent to this man you deserve what you get. Another one bites the dust.
I hate all of them, but apparently, China doesn’t require a bar exam for foreigners to work as “consultants” or “advisors” at law firms or legal departments. So her China work may have been okay. But her “General Counsel” lie needs to be investigated. GC is a legal title. You can’t be a GC without passing the bar somewhere. Also, there IS a distinction between lawyer and attorney. I remember being taught in law school that, as a graduate, you are a lawyer, but not an attorney. An attorney is someone who has passed the bar. Even there, though, we were advised to simply add “J.D.” at the end of our names, as opposed to “Esq.” or “Attorney at Law”.
Yes, there is a distinction between lawyer and attorney that most laymen don’t realize. We were only taught that in law school.
Foreign nationals are not allowed to work as lawyers in China. She can call herself a “consultant” or whatever, but she was not working as a lawyer there.
My comment never said she was a lawyer in China; I said she could be a consultant or advisor because foreigners can’t even sit for the bar in China.
In other common law jurisdictions the term lawyer and attorney are the same. Barristers and solicitors have different meanings but outside of the UK, most common law jurisdictions have combined them so that when you write bar ads and pass them, you can do both.
She lied about passing the bar by calling herself counsel and she also can’t even read things off the paper. It is shocking for a law school graduate to have such crap reading skills. Pepperdine needs to bow down in shame here. She’s an embarrassment on so many levels.
What a horrific state of affairs.
Going to law school & passing a bar exam would be relevant if Trump gave her Kash’s job, but not for being a press secretary. Lots of people fail the California bar on their first attempt. Seems Katie married & moved to China soon after law school & decided not to retake it. No big deal, really.
I never heard this distinction between lawyer & attorney, & I have a JD & passed a bar. Hubby says same for him. I see her resume as confusing but not important.
Katie was obviously very nervous at her first press conference. That can improve. But Trump hired her because she will spout complimentary nonsense and lies about him, and she does. That is why she should not be press secretary.
The Trump administration is full of consequential lies every minute of every day. Katie’s issue is worth reporting & discussing but is just a sideshow.
I thought attorney means a person is actively practicing law whereas a lawyer could be non-practicing at the moment or for an extended length of time (i.e Michelle Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton). That is my understanding of the distinction, though I could be wrong.
I have no idea if this is the distinction she provided. I usually switch the channel when I see her speaking.
Every single one of them passed a bar exam. Clinton’s license was suspended for 5 years but he can apply for reinstatement in Arkansas anytime he wants
Yes, I know that. I’m fully aware they passed the bar exam, which is why they can definitely be called lawyers.
But attorneys actually are in practice or have an active license to practice; hence the term attorney-at-law. They’re actively practicing with a non-expired license.
Even though Bill Clinton’s license was suspended, he can still be referred to as a lawyer. But he wouldn’t necessarily be called an attorney. Same for anyone else who isn’t actively in practice because they let their license expire.
If you graduate from law school but don’t pass the bar, I think you can only refer to yourself as a law school graduate, not a lawyer.
So all attorneys are lawyers but not all lawyers are attorneys.
At least this is my understanding unless I’ve slipped up somewhere and someone can correct me.
Anyway, clearly this lady is neither a lawyer nor an attorney. I guess she’s a law school graduate, but I’m shocked she’s even that.
Lawyers on this site have said that if you don’t pass the Bar Exam, you are neither a lawyer nor an attorney. Why are some people giving this liar grace by saying there’s a distinction between lawyer and attorney and she’s one or the other? No. I’m looking this up right now.
It sounds like the term lawyer is interpreted differently, even amongst law schools. Two people above were told in law school that grads could call themselves lawyers, most of what I’ve read and heard (and some lawyers on the site yesterday) say that you cannot. “Lawyer” is a role, as is “attorney “ and “physician” – so it doesn’t seem to logical to use.
Funny enough, having a JD degree does technically make her a doctor, even though the US makes using that term socially frowned upon because the early medical doctorates had better lobbyist and marketing/PR.
“I see her resume as confusing but not important.”
I think her resume is important if she’s actively lying about it. It’s a big no-no in any form of employment one seeks. There wasn’t a need to lie in this case. Trump likely would have just given her the job based on how her hair looks. I’m so confused as to why she felt the need to lie. It was unnecessary in this instance.
Although why she even wanted the job, if she clearly can’t do it, is also a puzzle to me.
I put my comment above in the wrong place, I think.
@Snarkle, JD and recent CA bar-passer here. In California (where Zacharia sat for the bar exam), there is absolutely *NO* legal distinction between the titles “lawyer” and “attorney.” They are used interchangeably to signify one who has not only passed the bar exam, but has been licensed by the State Bar of CA to practice law. Part of the process of being licensed entails an extremely lengthy “moral character” investigation–like a background check on steroids that usually takes 3-6 months or more to conduct. Using myself as an example, the State Bar is still in the middle of evaluating my own moral character application, so I cannot legally call myself a lawyer or an attorney until they have approved my application, despite the fact that I have graduated law school and passed the bar.
In California, it is undisputedly against the law to “hold oneself out as being entitled to practice law.” Calling yourself an attorney OR a lawyer a classic example of holding yourself out as qualified to practice law. Perhaps there is a distinction between the titles “lawyer” and “attorney” in other jurisdictions, but definitely not in California. Zacharia is just a lying liar who lies and I cannot believe that she convinced herself no one would figure this out.
I see her resume as VERY important. She is lying. When we start minimizing that then more and more and more lies come, fast and furious. We already have too many to count, but this wasn’t a case of nerves. (If she’s too nervous to do her job, then she shouldn’t be practicing while press secretary to the president of the U.S. Nobody cares that she moved to China. We care that she lied about being general counsel. It’s unethical.
It is her literal job to tell the truth. We do not need to lower the standards any further.
It’s relevant because her position requires our ability to trust her. She outright lied on her resume about an easily verified professional license, which makes her untrustworthy and unsuitable for the position
I looked it up and there is No Distinction between lawyer and attorney. So this grifter is neither a lawyer nor an attorney.
Well, if google says so, it must be true. Never mind us who actually went to law school and were told how we could and couldn’t represent ourselves upon graduation. LOL
Why did she say she’s a lawyer?
You don’t need to be a lawyer to be a press secretary.
Social media isn’t doing a good job of answering my question haha.
It’s because she’s been calling herself a lawyer on Newsmax for years.
I believe it was on her LinkedIn profile as well.
Oh ok. Thanks!
When I get news through social media, it’s kind of fragmented.
I just learned she’s 42. All this time I kept thinking she was 24 because it didn’t occur to me that a 42 year old would come up with this lie.
Mumster, I’m asking: if you don’t pass the bar, can you represent yourself as an attorney or lawyer? You know.
You are “technically” a lawyer upon completion of law school. But most law schools teach you to simply add “J.D.” after your name and not put “lawyer” because it can be confusing to lay people. Attorney and General Counsel, on the other hand, are terms of art and they require passing the bar (in any state). That’s what we were taught in law school in NY.
Yes, this is what we were taught in Oklahoma. I tend to say I’m a “lawyer by training, but have never taken the bar.” I would never use the word attorney for myself.
Well this is where I pipe in a say in most states you cannot present yourself as a lawyer before passing the bar.
And the American Bar Association uses both terms interchangeably but require that one has passed the bar.
Mumster, thanks. Also, I read it’s different in different states. But this woman called herself both an attorney and a lawyer. What she is is a liar.
And she got a General Counsel role based on those lies. Unreal.
My theory is that they hired this chick, someone even more incompetent than usual, that will get blasted. They’ll fire her and blame it on bullying from the left then hire someone that can lie as well glibly as Leavitt.
She just got fired!
Yep, according to People and Faux News it’s “Buh-bye!” Another MAGA face bites the dust!
Half a Scarmucci!
Beating Scaramucci!
Trump fired her after 5 days. He also asked Kim Guilfoyle to resign her job as ambassador to Greece about 5 minutes after the story broke (or he fired her, not sure). Why doesn’t he fire males for far more egregious acts?
Because the only purpose a woman has in his administration is to sit there, look pretty, and not make him look bad. With men, those are his “bros” and if he’s not doing anything wrong, they’re not doing anything wrong.
Kim was basically told to resign or be fired. She tried to keep her job by saying the texts were fake AI. The guy who revealed the texts is now suing her for defamation, asking for a million dollars. I feel so bad for -said no one ever.
You know why.
God, yes, Hegseth with his televised execution proposal. trump called it off, but hegseth should have been out on his *ss.
What bothers me, is that before this job, she was on TV, providing commentary, as a lawyer. To me, a layperson, a lawyer is a person who is qualified to be in a courtroom and/or provide me with legal advice. When you represent yourself to the general public, on TV, it doesn’t matter that other members of your profession might know the difference between lawyer and attorney. What matters is what your audience understands. She’s misrepresented herself for years and knows it.
Yep, she knew what she was doing, she deliberately misled the public & her various employers, including trump.
She took on roles as general counsel in California which is an obvious violation of the California state bar.
Bumblebee, I have to agree. Mumster the attorney said someone who graduated law school, but did not pass the bar could still call herself a lawyer, but it’s misleading to the public, who believe lawyers and attorneys are synonymous (like me). So she was always a fraud, but the biggest orange fraud of all gets to stay (maybe forever).
This is why in many countries it is explicit that lawyers can only be called such when they have passed the bar exam and been called to the bar. And in California where she was calling herself counsel.
she is OUT #sorrynotsorry
She didn’t even last a Scaramucci.
RIP.
So, uh, did she even go to law school? I realize you have to pass the bar to practice, but did she actually even complete law school?
Anyway, she’s been fired. Making fun of her was sort of fun while it lasted. I’m pretty sure the next press secretary will be just as bad.
Yes, Pepperdine.
Now please turn your considerable talents to removing the liars and perjurers like Hegseth, who actually endanger us.
I was under the impression you have to pass the bar to call yourself a lawyer, but an attorney is a lawyer who actively practices law.
So Hillary Clinton is a lawyer because she went to law school AND passed the bar but at some point she was no longer an attorney because she stopped actively practicing law when she became First Lady or when she let her license expire. Same for Michelle Obama.
That’s kind of how I understood the terms to work.
If I knew everyone was going to judge me on my ability to read a script and I couldn’t read it, I’d probably avoid calling myself a lawyer even I actually were one.
What makes you think that these ladies let their licences expire? Doesn’t seem like something they would do.
Bossip has a biting article on her firing. Speak truth to power!
Ha! Chump doesn’t have a Press Secretary for the final two weeks before the election. Now there is no one to spin the ambassador scandal. Maybe this is the October Surprise.
I just read a lawn sign that made me feel good: “One day, as if by a miracle, he will be gone.” No need to ask which “he,” because we all know.
Praying for that day to hasten.
I’m a bit tardy to the party here, but I think it’s worth adding my comment to the mix. (I posted this as a reply to another comment above, but wanted to make it a standalone post for the purposes of education.)
JD and recent CA bar-passer here. In California (where Zacharia sat for the bar exam), there is absolutely *NO* legal distinction between the titles “lawyer” and “attorney.” They are used interchangeably to signify one who has not only passed the bar exam, but has been licensed by the State Bar of CA to practice law. Part of the process of being licensed entails an extremely lengthy “moral character” investigation–like a background check on steroids that usually takes 3-6 months or more to conduct. Using myself as an example, the State Bar is still in the middle of evaluating my own moral character application, so I cannot legally call myself a lawyer or an attorney until they have approved my application, despite the fact that I have graduated law school and passed the bar.
In California, it is undisputedly against the law to “hold oneself out as being entitled to practice law.” Calling yourself an attorney OR a lawyer a classic example of holding yourself out as qualified to practice law. Perhaps there is a distinction between the titles “lawyer” and “attorney” in other jurisdictions, but definitely not in California. Zacharia is just a lying liar who lies and I cannot believe that she convinced herself no one would figure this out.