Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia faces complaint over claims she’s a lawyer

October 15, 2026 3oliver

Newly appointed White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia in Washington, D.C., on October 13, 2026. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)

A government watchdog group filed a complaint Wednesday with the State Bar of California, seeking an investigation into newly appointed White House press secretary Katie Zacharia over allegations she falsely represented herself as a lawyer despite apparently never having been licensed to practice.

Campaign for Accountability alleges that Zacharia might have violated California law by repeatedly identifying herself as a lawyer on television and serving as general counsel for a California nonprofit organization.

“If that reporting is accurate, Ms. Zacharia has 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,” the complaint stated.

Rick Coca, a spokesperson for the State Bar of California, confirmed the agency had no record of Zacharia being licensed in California under her married or maiden names.

“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,” CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith said in a news release.

“In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn’t puffery; it’s a crime,” she said.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded on X, calling CfA a “radical-leftist organization run by rabid numbskulls suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

“Nobody takes them seriously because they are deranged low lifes,” Cheung wrote.

InfluenceWatch, a project of the conservative Capital Research Center, describes CfA as a left-of-center advocacy group that frequently targets Republican officials and conservative organizations.

It notes the group was founded by former staff members of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Government and has two prominent Democrat political operatives on its board.

The complaint cites several instances in which Zacharia described herself as a lawyer, including an Oct. 5 appearance on Newsmax anchor Greg Kelly’s WABC radio show, when she invoked her legal background while discussing the Senate’s use of blue slips in the confirmation process for U.S. attorneys.

It also questions her reported tenure as general counsel for Fix California, a nonprofit founded by former Trump administration official Richard Grenell, from January 2024 to March 2025.

CfA acknowledged it is unknown whether Zacharia performed legal work for Fix California and asked the State Bar to investigate her responsibilities.

Under California law, unauthorized practice of law or unlawfully representing oneself as entitled to practice law can constitute a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in county jail, a $1,000 fine, or both.

The complaint asks regulators to consider referring the matter to prosecutors if violations are established.

Zacharia, who graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2011, previously worked for the Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing.

Asked Wednesday where she passed the bar exam, Zacharia responded, “when I moved to China.”

A White House official told The Hill she worked on international transaction law in China after relocating there with her husband.

President Donald Trump described Zacharia as “an attorney” when announcing her appointment last week.

Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.