{
  "id": 14799276,
  "title": "Trump press secretary Katie Zacharia never passed bar exam, wrongly claims China has none",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/trump-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-never-passed-bar-exam-wrongly",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-15T21:52:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3371066/white-house-press-secretary-never-passed-bar-exam-wrongly-claims-china-has-none"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has admitted that she failed the California bar exam she claimed to have passed while moving to China, according to a recent interview. During a discussion with conservative commentator Jack Posobiec on Real America’s Voice, Zacharia revealed that she took the California bar exam in 2011 after graduating from Pepperdine University’s law school but did not pass. She emphasized that the results were inconsequential, as she knew she wouldn't need the bar in China, where she moved with her husband for his job. Zacharia added that there is no Chinese bar exam and that she had sufficient credentials solely based on her law degree. However, China does have a bar exam, the National Unified Legal Professional Qualification Examination, which is only available to Chinese citizens and cannot be taken by foreign nationals. Despite her claim, Zacharia has been called an attorney by former President Donald Trump when announcing her appointment. She has also been accused of mishearing a question about the bar exam due to the noise of the presidential helicopter. Zacharia had previously stated she was an associate at a Chinese law firm, Zhong Lun Law Firm, from 2011 to 2013, listing herself as such on her LinkedIn profile. However, Gary Gao, a Shanghai-based partner at the firm, clarified that foreigners are often hired for language assistance and are not practicing Chinese law. Zacharia has also claimed to have been \"the outside counsel to the IFC and the World Bank,\" but this has been disputed by Campaign for Accountability, a watchdog group that has asked the State Bar of California to investigate whether she held herself out as a lawyer unlawfully and whether her work as general counsel of a non-profit organization amounted to unauthorized practice. The State Bar of California has not confirmed receiving a complaint or initiating an investigation, as these matters are confidential. The White House has not responded to requests for comment.",
  "summary": "White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has acknowledged that she never passed a bar exam, days after telling reporters she had passed one “when I moved to China”. In an interview with the conservative commentator Jack Posobiec on right-wing streaming channel Real America’s Voice on Thursday, Zacharia said she sat the California bar exam after graduating from Pepperdine University’s law school…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "Zacharia 'tracked every news hit' to capture Trump's attention in press secretary search",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/zacharia-tracked-every-news-hit-to-capture-trumps-attention-in-press",
        "published": "2026-10-15T19:26:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia defends her legal background and short first briefing",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/new-white-house-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-defends-her-legal",
        "published": "2026-10-15T19:40:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Global News",
        "title": "Trump press secretary Katie Zacharia’s law background called into question",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/trump-press-secretary-katie-zacharias-law-background-called-into",
        "published": "2026-10-15T20:18:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Japan Today",
        "title": "New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia defends her legal background and short first briefing",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/new-white-house-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-defends-her-legal-14796049",
        "published": "2026-10-15T21:39:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
        "title": "Trump press secretary Katie Zacharia never passed bar exam, wrongly claims China has none",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/trump-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-never-passed-bar-exam-wrongly-14800572",
        "published": "2026-10-15T21:52:59.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian US",
        "title": "Trump’s new press secretary says it’s ‘unknown’ how much she’ll deal with media",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/trumps-new-press-secretary-says-its-unknown-how-much-shell-deal-with",
        "published": "2026-10-15T22:58:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Trump’s new press secretary appears to acknowledge failing Bar exam amid scrutiny over lawyer claims",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-appears-to-acknowledge-failing-bar-exam",
        "published": "2026-10-16T01:02:58.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}