On 16 October, the American media reported that White House spokesperson Katie Zacharia had been sacked or was due to leave her post shortly following a scandal surrounding her legal qualifications. CNN uncovered articles in which she was described as a lawyer, although Zaharia confirmed that she had not passed the relevant bar exam. The White House has not officially confirmed the personnel decision.
Briefly about the main points
- CNN has found at least 15 posts shared by Zakharija in which he used the title ‘attorney’.
- The spokeswoman confirmed that she had failed the bar exam.
- The California Bar Association was unable to locate her licence to practise.
- Trump advised her to consider continuing her work at the White House.
- The NYT, Axios and Reuters reported on her departure or her preparations to leave.
CNN found posts with the title ‘attorney’, even though the exam had not been passed
CNN has fact-checked the posts Zechariah on X and Truth Social for the years 2025–2026 and identified at least 15 posts in which she was referred to as an ‘attorney’ — a lawyer authorised to practise law. Among these was a Fox News headline from 26 April 2025 about verifying voters’ citizenship; the journalists found the post, which had subsequently been deleted, in the archive.
Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University Law School in 2011. However, a law degree alone does not confer the right to practise law in the US: this requires passing a qualifying examination and being admitted to the bar in a specific state. In an interview with Fox News on 15 October, she said that she had failed the exam and had not attempted to retake it after moving to China.
The California State Bar told CNN that it had no record of a licence having been issued to Zacharia. Previously, the Campaign for Accountability had asked the Bar to investigate whether it had misled the public regarding his professional qualifications.
Zachariah referred to legal advice regarding her representation
Zachariah stated that before starting work at media She consulted legal experts. According to her, she was permitted to call herself a ‘lawyer’, but was advised not to use the terms ‘attorney’ or ‘esquire’, as in the American context these words may imply the right to practise law.
She insisted that the circulation of material in which she was referred to as a lawyer did not constitute her personal confirmation of that status. Zakharia also said that in Beijing she had worked in the international division of the law firm Zhong Lun, dealing with corporate transactions. CNN noted that foreigners cannot obtain a legal practising licence in China by sitting the local qualifying examination.
Trump advised the spokeswoman to rethink her role, whilst the media reported on her departure
Zachariah started working at The White House On 12 October, having replaced Caroline Levitt. The following day, her first press briefing lasted around 14 minutes, during which she answered questions from three journalists. Some sections of the American media criticised it for being too short.
16 October Trump told journalists that he had advised the spokesperson to consider whether she should remain in her post. The President stated that the media had treated her unfairly, and relayed his advice: «If I were in your shoes, I’d reconsider that decision».
The New York Times, citing three sources familiar with the matter, reported that Zacharia had been sacked. Axios, citing two administration officials, reported that she would be stepping down in the coming days, whilst Reuters reported that she was in the process of leaving her post. As of the evening of 16 October, the White House had not announced a successor.
