{
  "id": 14965357,
  "title": "Trump’s new press secretary admits failing bar exam",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-admits-failing-bar-exam-14965357",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T12:46:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/10/16/trump-s-new-press-secretary-admits-failing-bar-exam"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The newly appointed White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, has admitted to failing the bar exam, a requirement for practicing law in the United States. Zacharia has frequently described herself as a lawyer on television and social media, including as the general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit. However, her credentials came under scrutiny after she gave a vague response to a question about where she had passed the bar exam.\n\nDuring an interview on Fox News, Zacharia confirmed that she did not pass the bar exam, stating that she had registered to take it but was distracted and overwhelmed by plans to move to China with her husband. She explained that the results were inconsequential because she knew she wouldn't need the bar in China, as foreign nationals cannot take the exam there.\n\nZacharia's background in business law, gained while working at a Beijing law firm, led some to believe she could be labeled as a lawyer. However, the Campaign for Accountability, a political ethics organization, called for an investigation by the California Bar Association, emphasizing that falsely claiming to be a lawyer without a license is a crime in California.",
  "summary": "Katie Zacharia says she never intended to practise law, as her legal credentials face scrutiny over her claims to be a lawyer.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "NDTV",
        "title": "\"Don't Have Proper Toilets\": Trump's New Press Secretary On Her Time In China",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/dont-have-proper-toilets-trumps-new-press-secretary-on-her-time-in",
        "published": "2026-10-16T08:15:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia defends ‘lawyer’ title despite failing bar exam",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-defends-lawyer-title",
        "published": "2026-10-16T08:49:18.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "China tells Trump’s press secretary to visit more often after ‘proper toilets’ jibe",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/china-tells-trumps-press-secretary-to-visit-more-often-after-proper",
        "published": "2026-10-16T09:00:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "RTE News",
        "title": "New Trump press secretary says she did not pass bar exam",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/new-trump-press-secretary-says-she-did-not-pass-bar-exam",
        "published": "2026-10-16T09:21:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "China tells Trump’s press secretary to visit ‘more often’ after toilet comments",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/china-tells-trumps-press-secretary-to-visit-more-often-after-toilet",
        "published": "2026-10-16T09:57:44.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Trump's new press secretary admits failing bar exam",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-admits-failing-bar-exam",
        "published": "2026-10-16T10:12:26.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "Trump’s new press secretary admits she failed bar exam",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-admits-she-failed-bar-exam",
        "published": "2026-10-16T10:42:54.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}