The newly appointed White House press secretary may have violated a California law by claiming to be an attorney without ever having been admitted to practice law in the United States, according to a complaint filed Wednesday by a progressive watchdog group.
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, who holds a law degree from Pepperdine University, has said she is a lawyer in numerous media appearances before President Donald Trump announced her hire on Oct. 9. The group Campaign for Accountability (CfA) filed a complaint with the state bar in Zacharia’s home state of California, asking them to investigate the matter.
“In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn’t puffery; it’s a crime,” the group’s executive director, Michelle Kuppersmith, said in a statement announcing the complaint. “The State Bar should investigate whether Ms. Zacharia has misled the public about her credentials and hold her accountable if she has.”
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The CfA did not immediately return messages Wednesday afternoon seeking comment. The State Bar of California responded to Straight Arrow, saying it could not confirm any complaint or whether it was investigating. Zacharia’s law credentials drew scrutiny after Popular Information reported Tuesday that it found no record of her being admitted to practice law in any state.
The White House referred to a social media post by its Communications Director Steven Cheung, which did not address Zacharia’s legal credentials or whether her statements violated any rules.
According to the complaint, Zacharia violated California’s Business and Professions Code section 6126(a) by saying in at least one interview “I’m a lawyer,” being identified as a lawyer in at least 18 appearances on Fox News since March 2025, and having identified herself as “outside counsel” or general counsel to other organizations.
“Any person advertising or holding himself or herself out as practicing or entitled to practice law or otherwise practicing law who is not an active licensee of the State Bar, or otherwise authorized pursuant to statute or court rule to practice law in this state at the time of doing so, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in a county jail or by a fine of up to one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment.”
The state bar investigates hundreds of complaints each year about the unauthorized practice of law by non-attorneys, according to data it published on its website in 2016.
In April, Zacharia responded to a question on X about why Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy, wasn’t being considered for the then-vacant position of Attorney General. Zacharia responded, “Because he’s not a lawyer.”
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