The complaint to the State Bar

The Campaign for Accountability, a non-profit watchdog, on a Wednesday asked the State Bar of California to investigate whether Katie Zacharia, Donald Trump's new White House press secretary, misled the public and potentially violated state law by describing herself as a lawyer. The complaint centers on her use of the 'lawyer' title, which Trump has also applied to her by calling her an 'attorney' - a designation reserved for people licensed to practice law.

The bar exam question

The question of Zacharia's bar exam record surfaced after her first podium appearance. When reporters on a Tuesday asked her to name the state where she passed the bar exam, she replied 'When I moved to China'. She later told the New York Times she had 'misheard' the question over the sound of Marine One on the South Lawn, and did not confirm whether she had passed.

• •The State Bar of California said it had no record of Zacharia being licensed in the state, under either her married name or her maiden name, Katie Black.
• •The Wall Street Journal, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported that Zacharia failed the California bar exam after graduating from law school.
• •Her LinkedIn lists a 2011 law degree from Pepperdine University and an 'associate' post at the Beijing firm Zhong Lun covering 2011 to 2013.

Zacharia herself addressed the record in an interview with Human Events, telling Jack Posobiec she did not pass the California bar. She said she was 'distracted and overwhelmed and excited' to join her new husband in China after a long-distance relationship lasting more than a year.

A person familiar with the matter said she 'stands by' calling herself a lawyer and considers it a 'valid title' given her law degree and international transactional law experience. The same person said she had 'never given legal advice' - only 'legal analysis' - after consulting other legal professionals.

A resume under scrutiny

Her stated legal career is under examination alongside the bar question. Her LinkedIn shows a 10-year gap after her time in China; Wired reported that during that period she worked as an 'affiliate marketer' for Beachbody, a multi-level marketing company she described to the outlet as 'sort of a pyramid scheme'.

She later claims to have served as 'general counsel' for Fix California, a conservative group founded by Richard Grenell, the special presidential envoy for special missions. The Guardian approached both Zhong Lun and Fix California seeking additional details about her legal roles.

From the call to the podium

Zacharia replaced Karoline Leavitt as the US president's chief spokesperson after a whirlwind recruitment. On 7 October, a White House official she declined to name called her in Los Angeles and asked her to travel to Washington for a meeting. She flew in the next day, met officials on Pennsylvania Avenue on the Friday, was offered the job that day and accepted.

Back in Washington by Sunday, she took up the post on Monday - six days after the call came. She had not lobbied for the role, she said; instead she monitored Trump's social media posts and appeared on conservative talkshows to 'audition' for the job. At the announcement, Trump described her as a 'devoted fan of Maga' with 'an unblemished record of support' and 'a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning'.

She had previously served as an adviser to Trump Media Group, which owns Truth Social, and had a brief stint as a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson; she declined to comment on why the White House offered her the job. Her first briefing came on her second day, which she said she was 'asked to do'.

How often she will face the press remains undecided. She said briefing frequency was 'unknown at this time', explaining that Trump 'is his best spokesperson, and I will interact as needed', adding 'I follow the president's lead'.

The complaint now sits with the State Bar of California, which has been asked to investigate whether Zacharia misled the public and potentially violated state law; the report records no bar response yet.