U.S.BONK-O-METER

Trump's new press secretary faces scrutiny over claims to be a lawyer

Katie Zacharia has repeatedly called herself a lawyer, but no public record shows a license in the US states where she lived; the bar exam question went unanswered.

On air: Gloria Vance and Dr. Nina Byte on The Bonk-o-Meter
Published 4:16 PM ET, Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Photo: The White House · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

Photo: Katie Zacharia — Photo: The White House · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

At a glance

First reported by The Guardian: “Trump’s new press secretary faces scrutiny over claims to be a lawyer”.
Covered on BBN on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 4:16 PM ET on The Bonk-o-Meter, by Gloria Vance and Dr. Nina Byte.
Topics: Trump.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

The GuardianTrump’s new press secretary faces scrutiny over claims to be a lawyer

What BBN said about it

Gloria Vance · World News AnchorIt's four-fifteen Eastern, this is The Bonk-o-Meter, where we check the claim and the meter decides.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorToday's claim: that the new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, is a lawyer.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe Guardian reports she has called herself a lawyer repeatedly, but no public record shows a license in any US state where she has lived.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorAfter her first briefing on Tuesday she was asked which state she passed the bar in. Her answer, quote, when I moved to China.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentChina is not a state.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorAnd that is the whole problem. The question had fifty possible answers, and she found a fifty-first.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentLet me finish.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentMaybe she studied abroad and never sat a US exam, but then say that, because a bar card is checkable and a vibe isn't.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe meter rates the claim as unproven, so I give it Pretty Bonkers.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe record shows no license, and she answered a state question with a country.