Katie Zacharia says she misheard bar exam question as scrutiny mounts over legal credentials
WASHINGTON, DC: White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, on Thursday, October 15, said that she misunderstood a question about where she passed the bar exam, offering a new explanation after her exchange earlier in the week with reporters raised questions about her legal credentials.
Zacharia said that noise from Marine One, the presidential helicopter, prevented her from hearing the question clearly.
Katie Zacharia says Marine One noise prevented her from hearing question
The controversy began on Tuesday when a reporter asked President Donald Trump which state Zacharia had passed the bar exam in, noting that he had described her as an attorney. The POTUS turned to Zacharia and repeated the question, asking, “Which state?” to which Zacharia then replied, “When I moved to China."
President Trump on White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia: "I thought she was very good." Q: "You said she's an attorney. Where did she pass the bar exam? Which state?" Zacharia: "When I moved to China." Q: "Where did you pass the bar exam?" https://t.co/5xiwyEsVSs
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 13, 2026
In her subsequent explanation, Zacharia said that she believed the reporter had asked where she went after graduating from law school. “I assumed the question was, 'Where were you after law school?'” she said.
😮 Katie Zacharia crashes and burns on [checks notes] Hannity 😮 If you had the "over" on Zacharia lasting more than one Scaramucci, her epic flame out on Hannity just now won't help your cause HANNITY: You said you consulted with people who advised you it was okay to call yourself a lawyer but not an attorney, correct? ZACHARIA: Correct HANNITY: There's a report out tonight showing 15 social media posts where you identify yourself as an attorney ZACHARIA: I think they were retweets Here's the whole interview:
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 16, 2026
“That's all I could hear over the sound of Marine One,” she added. “And, wanting to respect protocol, the distance behind the president kept me from moving closer to hear the question.” Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2011 and later worked for Chinese firm Zhong Long.
However, her initial response led to questions over her legal past and her eligibility to practice law in the US. An investigation by independent journalist Judd Legum found no evidence that she had passed a bar examination or been admitted to practice law in any US state.
The Washington Post also reported that searches of state bar listings found no active or expired admissions under either Zacharia's name or her maiden name, Black.
California complaint challenges Katie Zacharia's claims about legal background
The scrutiny has extended to a formal complaint filed this week by the nonprofit Campaign for Accountability with the State Bar of California. The group alleges that 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.”
This group that filed the "complaint" is 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.
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) October 14, 2026
The White House has, however, strongly defended Zacharia and criticized the organisation behind the complaint. Communications director Steven Cheung attacked the group in a post on X (formerly Twitter), calling it 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 lowlifes,” Cheung wrote.
Trump had referred to Zacharia as an attorney when announcing her appointment as press secretary after Karoline Leavitt's departure from the role.
