Katie Zacharia Never Passed Bar Exam

What happened

Campaign for Accountability and Democracy Defenders Fund asked California authorities to investigate whether White House press secretary Katie Zacharia unlawfully held herself out as entitled to practice law. Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine’s law school in 2011, failed the California bar exam that year and has no found U.S. law license. The complaints followed President Donald Trump’s appointment of Zacharia after he described her as an attorney and she repeatedly presented herself as a lawyer. Zacharia said Pepperdine’s president and legal professionals told her “lawyer” was acceptable because she had a law degree, while legal experts said the term generally means a licensed practitioner. The California State Bar said it could not confirm a complaint or investigation.

How each side covered it

From the left

Left-leaning outlets framed the controversy as a credibility problem, stressing the gap between Zacharia’s public image and her qualifications. CNN focused on how her past posts raised fresh questions about her legal credentials. HuffPost lingered on her China answer as strained damage control. Raw Story emphasized insider concern that her debut showed White House disarray.

From the right

Right-leaning outlets treated Zacharia’s credentials as a real problem, while giving more room to whether the criticism was proportionate. Daily Mail led with the mismatch between her claims and the way Trump presented her. Washington Examiner focused on whether she was ready for a difficult messaging job, while noting Republican defenses of her rapid promotion.

Headlines

Katie Zacharia Never Passed Bar Exam

Every side, every morning

What happened

How each side covered it

From the left

From the right

Headlines

Left28

Center16

Right6

Also today