WASHINGTON: The White House faced mounting questions on Wednesday over new press secretary Katie Zacharia’s legal credentials, after a faltering first day in the job when she gave an inconclusive answer about where she had passed the bar exam.

A US watchdog filed a complaint with the State Bar of California, asking it to investigate whether President Donald Trump’s spokeswoman -- the public face of the administration -- had broken the law by repeatedly presenting herself as a lawyer without a licence.

Campaign for Accountability said Zacharia had described herself as a lawyer during television appearances and listed herself as general counsel for a California-based conservative firm.

“Ms Zacharia has represented herself as a lawyer repeatedly to buttress her reputation and credibility,” said the group’s executive director, Michelle Kuppersmith. “The State Bar should investigate whether Ms Zacharia has misled the public about her credentials,” she added.

Trump described Zacharia as “an attorney” when announcing her appointment last week, but journalists have found no record of her being licensed to practise law in any US state. California’s state bar confirmed to media that it had no record of Zacharia holding a licence under either her married or maiden name.

Zacharia, 41, graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011, but obtaining a law degree does not automatically qualify someone to practise law.

Asked by reporters on Tuesday where she had passed the bar exam, Zacharia replied: “When I moved to China,” without identifying any jurisdiction where she was licensed.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2026