Katie Zacharia Admits Failing Bar Exam as Scrutiny Mounts Over Trump Press Secretary’s Credentials

US White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia has admitted that she failed the bar examination, raising further questions about her use of the title “lawyer” and her professional qualifications.

Zacharia, appointed by President Donald Trump last week, made the admission during a television interview on Thursday. She has previously referred to herself as a lawyer in media appearances and social media posts and identified herself as general counsel of a conservative nonprofit based in California.

The controversy gained attention after she failed to provide a conclusive answer when questioned about where she had passed the bar examination.

Although the 41-year-old earned a law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011, a law degree alone does not authorise graduates to practise law in the United States.

During an appearance on Fox News, presenter Sean Hannity directly questioned her about the examination.

“You took the bar exam, but you didn’t pass the bar exam, correct?” Hannity asked.

“Yes,” Zacharia replied.

Speaking separately to conservative outlet Real America’s Voice, she said she had registered for the examination but became “distracted and overwhelmed” while preparing to move to China with her husband.

“The results are somewhat inconsequential because I knew I wouldn’t need the bar in China,” she said.

While foreign nationals cannot take China’s bar examination, they are permitted to perform certain legal duties at Chinese law firms.

Asked by Hannity whether she had taken the bar exam again, Zacharia answered: “I did not.”

“I had four kids in six years,” she said. “It was never my intent to go into the practice of law.”

She further explained that “many people in the field” had told her she could “label myself a lawyer” based on her legal education and experience in business law while working at a Beijing law firm.

Zacharia also sought to distinguish her work from the formal practice of law, saying she could “provide legal analysis, not legal advice.”

“I was very careful how I executed this.”

The issue has also drawn the attention of the Campaign for Accountability, a political ethics group that urged the California Bar Association on Wednesday to investigate Zacharia’s credentials.

“In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn’t puffery; it’s a crime,” the organisation stated in a press release.

The scrutiny comes days after Zacharia conducted her first White House press briefing on Tuesday. The session was notably short, with the press secretary taking questions from just three journalists.

She succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who left the position in August to care for her young children. Leavitt had been known for her strong support of Trump and frequently combative exchanges with reporters.

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