White House press secretary Katie Zacharia faces scrutiny over credentials

On October 13, 2026, Katie Zacharia held her first briefing as White House press secretary, a position to which she was appointed by President Donald Trump on October 9. During the 14-minute session, Zacharia announced that the U.S. government had requested the resignation of the U.S. Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle. The announcement followed reports of complaints against the ambassador and expressed dissatisfaction from President Trump, who had personally coached the new press secretary prior to her debut.

Following her appointment, media investigations by the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal revealed that Zacharia, who had been introduced by President Trump as a lawyer, did not hold a license to practice law in the United States. It was discovered that she failed the California bar exam in 2011 after graduating from Pepperdine University. In interviews on October 15 and 16, Zacharia admitted that she had not passed the bar exam and never retook it, explaining that she had focused on a move to China at the time. The organization Campaign for Accountability has since filed a petition with the California State Bar to investigate whether Zacharia violated state law by publicly presenting herself as an attorney without proper licensing.