New White House spokesperson faces scrutiny over legal credentials

Katie Zacharia held her first briefing as White House press secretary on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, following her appointment by President Donald Trump on October 9. During the 14-minute session, she announced that the U.S. government has requested the resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle, the ambassador to Greece. This decision followed public reports of complaints against Guilfoyle and expressed dissatisfaction from President Trump.

Following her debut, Zacharia’s professional background has come under intense scrutiny. Although President Trump and Zacharia herself have referred to her as a lawyer, investigative reports from sources including Reuters and The Washington Post revealed that there are no records of her being a licensed attorney in any U.S. jurisdiction. The Wall Street Journal reported that she graduated from Pepperdine Law School in 2011 but failed the California bar exam. While in China from 2011 to 2013, she worked for the law firm Zhong Lun. Zacharia previously served as a legal advisor for the advocacy group Fix California from 2024 to 2025. As of now, these revelations have created a political controversy just weeks before the November midterm elections.