US President Donald Trump’s new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, is facing questions over her legal credentials after The Wall Street Journal reported that she did not pass California’s bar exam following her graduation from law school in 2011.The scrutiny intensified after Zacharia was asked where she had passed the bar exam following her first White House press briefing on Tuesday. “When I moved to China,” she replied, without identifying a jurisdiction, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).Zacharia has repeatedly described herself as a lawyer. However, media reviews of attorney registration records have found no public listing showing that she was admitted to practise in the US jurisdictions they examined.The exam is required to obtain a licence to practise law. She sat for the bar around the time she was planning her wedding with now-husband Tyler Zacharia and was preparing to relocate to China.She reportedly passed the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), which assesses candidates’ knowledge of professional conduct and legal ethics.Also Read | ‘My president… sorry, my husband’: White House press secretary Katie Zacharia’s awkward debutPassed the bar exam ‘when I moved to China’: ZachariaZacharia’s legal credentials came under scrutiny after she told reporters on Tuesday that she passed a bar exam when she moved to China, without specifying the jurisdiction. PROFILE · US POLITICSWho is Kimberly Guilfoyle?From courtroom to cable TV to the Trump campaign and an embassy in Athens.APPROSECUTORFOX NEWS HOSTREPUBLICAN FUNDRAISERAMBASSADOR TO GREECEAged 57. Her time as US ambassador to Greece ended on Oct 13, 2026.Four careersLAWCalifornia prosecutorWorked in the San Francisco and Los Angeles district attorneys’ offices; appointed an assistant district attorney in San Francisco in 2000.MEDIAFox News hostJoined Fox News in 2006 as a legal analyst; co-hosted The Five from 2011 until she left the network in 2018.POLITICSRepublican fundraiserLed fundraising for Trump’s 2020 campaign with the Republican National Committee and was a senior adviser to his re-election bid.DIPLOMACYUS ambassador to GreeceSworn in in September 2025 after a July confirmation hearing, the first woman to hold the post.Her connection to the Trump familyDTDonald TrumpUS PresidentSonPolitical allyDJDonald Trump JrKimberly GuilfoyleFormer ambassadorFormer fiancée2018She and Donald Trump Jr become a couple.LATE 2020The two get engaged.JULY 2024Speaks on night three of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.DEC 2024Photos of Trump Jr with Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson are published amid reports of a split. Hours later, Trump names Guilfoyle his pick for Greece, calling her a “close friend and ally”.DEC 2025Trump Jr’s engagement to Anderson is announced. Guilfoyle tells The New York Times: “I’m happy for Don. I wish him, of course, all the best.”MAY 2026Trump Jr marries Anderson in West Palm Beach, Florida.OCT 2026Stepping down, she thanks Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio with “gratitude and respect” and says she remains a loyal Trump supporter.Why she left AthensREPORTEDShe asked Trump donor Eric Deters to pay a $100,000 American Express bill shortly before her confirmation; he did not pay.The Wall Street JournalREPORTEDShe promoted Greek construction firm Aktor Group and flew to Davos in January 2026 on a private jet with its CEO.The Wall Street JournalON RECORDShe calls the allegations “false” and says she will “vigorously defend” her name; her lawyer disputes the texts’ authenticity.Kimberly Guilfoyle on X; lawyer Jesse BinnallON RECORD“We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign.”White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, Oct 13ON RECORDTrump on Oct 12: “We’re not happy.”Donald TrumpREPORTEDThe State Department’s inspector general is reviewing the allegations.AP, citing a US officialSources: Photo: AP. Axios; TIME; Forbes; The Wall Street Journal and AP via Axios, TIME and Forbes; Ballotpedia; Ynet; Newsweek; Fox News; Rev.Express InfoGenIECreated by Aniruddha DharShe made the remark following her first official White House press briefing and has repeatedly described herself as a lawyer.Story continues below this adHer LinkedIn profile states that she worked as an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing from 2011 to 2013. Zhong Lun is one of China’s largest law firms.A review of attorney registration records in New York, the District of Columbia, California, Texas and Florida by the South China Morning Post found no listing for Zacharia in any of the five jurisdictions.Separately, independent journalist Judd Legum reported that he found no evidence showing that Zacharia was admitted to practise law in any of the 50 US states or Washington, DC.What has White House said?A White House official did not directly answer NBC News when asked whether Zacharia had passed a bar examination. Instead, the official said she moved to China with her husband after graduating from law school because of his job at an American private equity firm. She worked on international transactions there before the couple returned to the United States, the official said.Story continues below this adIn a separate response reported by the South China Morning Post, Zacharia said she had practised international transactional law “with all the appropriate credentials”, without specifying where she had qualified.Employment at a law firm does not, by itself, establish that someone is licensed to practise law in that jurisdiction.Eligibility rules for China’s national judicial examinationIn 2011, China’s national judicial examination rules required candidates to hold Chinese nationality. China’s 2011 national judicial examination rules required candidates to hold Chinese nationality, according to a notice issued by the country’s Ministry of Justice. The eligibility criteria also included educational and other requirements.Foreign nationals were ineligible to sit for the exam, which formed part of the process of qualifying to practise law in China.Story continues below this adEmployment at a Chinese law firm does not, in itself, establish that an individual is licensed or otherwise authorised to practise law in the country.