Criminal Complaint Filed Against White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia
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White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia’s first press briefing, delivered on Tuesday, Oct. 13, left much to be desired.
She stumbled her way through her opening remarks, incessantly referring to her pre-prepared notes, and she only took questions from four members of the media.
The 14-minute long press briefing couldn’t have ended sooner, but the moment has only continued to sour for Zacharia… and not just because she’s been given an unflattering nickname by Jimmy Kimmel.
As of Wednesday, Oct. 14, a criminal complaint has been filed against her.
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What Is Katie Zacharia Accused Of?
When President Donald Trump was asked about Zacharia’s first press briefing as he boarded Marine One on Oct. 13, he said, “She was excellent — I thought she was very good.”
Trump’s opinion, in this case, is a significant outlier.
The question was followed up by an inquiry regarding where Zacharia passed the bar, as she has said that she was a lawyer for some time. Trump even announced her selection as the new press secretary on Oct. 9, citing her experience as an attorney.
Trump then turned to Zacharia and asked, to which she simply replied, “When I moved to China.”
Since then, a criminal complaint has been filed against Zacharia in the state of California on Oct. 14.
A watchdog organization called Campaign For Accountability has submitted a complaint with the State Bar of California, calling for an investigation into Zacharia’s claim that she is a lawyer.
The complaint states, “On October 13, 2026, Popular Information reported that it had searched attorney licensing records in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and found no record that Ms. Zacharia has ever been admitted to practice law.”
Continuing, the complaint says that Zacharia “held herself out to the public as entitled to practice law without a license to do so,” which is criminally punishable as a misdemeanor with a $1,000 fine or even a year in jail.
While she may have practiced law in China, with The Hill noting her LinkedIn listed that she worked as an Associate on the International Practice Team for Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing, Forbes adds that foreign nationals are prohibited from taking the bar or practicing law in China.
Michelle Kuppersmith, executive director of Campaign For Accountability, said of her organization’s criminal complaint against Zacharia, “The rules against unlicensed lawyering exist to protect the public. To be meaningful, the rules must apply to people with the biggest megaphones, not just to those with no platform.”
In response to the criminal complaint, Steven Cheung, Trump’s assistant and Communications Director for the White House, said in a post on X:
“This group that filed the “complaint” is a radical leftist-organization run by rabid numbskulls suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Nobody takes them seriously because they are deranged low lifes.”
View the news release from Campaign For Accountability, as well as its complaint against Zacharia, here.
Watch Trump defer to Zacharia regarding a question about where she took the bar exam, here:
President Trump on White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia: "I thought she was very good." Q: "You said she’s an attorney. Where did she pass the bar exam? Which state?" Zacharia: "When I moved to China." Q: "Where did you pass the bar exam?" https://t.co/5xiwyEsVSs
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 13, 2026
This is a developing story.
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