California bar tells UPI it has ‘no record’ of Zacharia license
The Campaign for Accountability filed its complaint with the State Bar of California on Wednesday, one day after Zacharia — a California resident and Pepperdine Caruso School of Law graduate — held her first briefing as White House press secretary on Tuesday. The complaint asks the bar to investigate whether Zacharia’s employment with Fix California constituted the unauthorized practice of law and to refer any violations to the Ventura County District Attorney for possible prosecution.
Asked Tuesday outside the White House where she passed the bar, Zacharia told reporters, “When I moved to China.” The complaint comes amid reports that Zacharia, who has repeatedly referred to herself as a lawyer, may not have passed the bar in California or in any other state.
The watchdog’s filing cites several instances of Zacharia calling herself a lawyer and claiming to have worked as one for the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. It also points to her LinkedIn profile, which lists her as having served as general counsel for the right-wing Fix California nonprofit organization.
“Ms. Zacharia has represented herself as a lawyer repeatedly to buttress her reputation and credibility as a television commentator and now as the White House spokesperson, yet it seems it was all a lie,” CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith said in a statement.
“In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn’t puffery; it’s a crime,” Kuppersmith said. “The State Bar should investigate whether Ms. Zacharia has misled the public about her credentials and hold her accountable if she has.”
Holding oneself out as entitled to practice law without being licensed is a misdemeanor in California, punishable by up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $1,000, or both.
“The rules against unlicensed lawyering exist to protect the public,” Kuppersmith said. “To be meaningful, the rules must apply to people with the biggest megaphones, not just to those with no platform.”
A spokesperson for the State Bar of California told UPI in an emailed statement that the agency has “no record” of Zacharia having been licensed to practice law in the state.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung attacked the watchdog over the complaint, calling the nonpartisan group “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,” Cheung wrote on X.