Trump press secretary Zacharia admits failing bar exam amid questions about claims she is attorney

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia admitted during an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity that she had not passed the California bar exam. This admission came after questions arose about her claims of being an attorney. Zacharia's credentials were under scrutiny following a Washington Post report indicating she had never passed the bar exam in any state she lived in, disqualifying her from practicing law and thus not qualifying her as an attorney or a lawyer.

Searches of attorney directories in California, Texas, and Washington, DC, produced no listings associated with Zacharia, under both her married and maiden names. Her LinkedIn profile also stated she earned a Juris Doctor degree, but did not specify she was licensed to practice law. When Hannity asked Zacharia about consulting with people who advised it was okay to call herself a lawyer but not an attorney, she confirmed it to be accurate.

Zacharia attempted to dismiss the issue by claiming those posts were merely retweets and that she corrected the record by not endorsing the title. Despite Zacharia's lack of formal legal practice or license, she worked as an associate on the international practice team at Chinese law firm Zhong Lun from 2011 to 2013, a fact that may explain her background in legal matters.