Watchdog asks California bar to probe Katie Zacharia’s lawyer claims

A nonpartisan government watchdog has filed a complaint with the State Bar of California requesting an investigation into newly appointed White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia following reports that she is not licensed to practice law in the state.

Zacharia, a resident of California who has repeatedly referred to herself as a lawyer, held her first briefing as White House press secretary on Tuesday amid reports that the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law graduate may not have passed the bar in California or in any other state. Asked Tuesday where she passed the bar, she told reporters outside the White House, “When I moved to China.”

Campaign for Accountability filed its complaint with the State Bar of California on Wednesday, saying if it is accurate that she is not licensed to practice law in the state, she may be breaking California law by publicly claiming she is entitled to practice law while being unlicensed.

“Ms. Zacharia has represented herself as a lawyer repeatedly to buttress her reputation and credibility as a television commentator and now as the White House spokesperson, yet it seems it was all a lie,” CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith said in a statement.

“In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn’t puffery; it’s a crime. The State Bar should investigate whether Ms. Zacharia has misled the public about her credentials and hold her accountable if she has.”

Holding oneself as entitled to practice law without being licensed is a misdemeanor offense in California, punishable by up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $1,000, or both.

The watchdog’s filing includes several instances of Zacharia calling herself a lawyer and claiming to have worked as one for the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. She also claims on her LinkedIn profile to have been general counsel for the right-wing Fix California nonprofit organization.

The complaint asks the State Bar of California to investigate whether Zacharia’s employment with Fix California constituted the unauthorized practice of law and to refer violations to the Ventura County District Attorney for possible prosecution.

“The rules against unlicensed lawyering exist to protect the public,” Kuppersmith said.

“To be meaningful, the rules must apply to people with the biggest megaphones, not just to those with no platform.”

A spokesperson for the State Bar of California told UPI in an emailed state that it has “no record” of Zacharia having been licensed to practice law in California.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung lashed out at CfA over the complaint with insults, calling the nonpartisan group “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,” he said on X.