Trump’s New Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Admits She Failed Bar Exam

The Katie Zacharia bar exam controversy deepened on Thursday when the new White House press secretary acknowledged she had failed the exam required to practise law in the United States.

Zacharia has described herself as a lawyer during television appearances and on social media. She also listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit. President Donald Trump appointed her last week, and her credentials came under scrutiny after she gave an inconclusive answer about where she had passed the bar.

Katie Zacharia bar exam admission: what she said

In a Fox News interview on Thursday, host Sean Hannity asked her directly: had she taken the bar exam but not passed it? She answered yes.

In a separate interview with the conservative outlet Real America’s Voice, also on Thursday, Zacharia said she had registered for the exam but was distracted and overwhelmed by plans to move to China with her husband. She added that the results were somewhat inconsequential because she knew she would not need the bar in China.

Foreign nationals cannot sit China’s bar exam, though they can perform certain legal work at Chinese law firms.

No second attempt

Hannity later asked whether she had ever taken the exam a second time. She said she had not. She explained that she had four children in six years, adding that it was never her intent to go into the practice of law.

Zacharia, 41, graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011. A law degree alone does not qualify someone to practise law in the United States.

She told Real America’s Voice that many people in the field had assured her she could label herself a lawyer, given her degree and her experience in business law gained in China, where she worked at a Beijing law firm. She said she could provide legal analysis, not legal advice, and added that she had been very careful in how she presented herself.

Watchdog demands investigation

The Campaign for Accountability, a political ethics organisation, called on Wednesday for the California Bar Association to open an investigation. The group said that in California, calling yourself a lawyer without a licence is not puffery but a crime.

The complaint followed reports that no record exists of Zacharia holding a law licence in any US state. Trump had described her as an attorney when announcing her appointment. The row adds to a turbulent stretch for the administration, from sweeping visa revocations to questions over the president’s Nobel Peace Prize lobbying.

A rocky start at the podium

Zacharia held her first White House press briefing on Tuesday. It was unusually short, with questions taken from only three journalists.

She succeeds Karoline Leavitt, a loyal Trump supporter and often combative press secretary. Leavitt stepped down in August to care for her young children.

The credentials row is an awkward opening for a press secretary whose job is to speak with authority for the administration. Trump’s White House is already under pressure on multiple fronts at home and abroad, but a dispute over the spokeswoman’s own qualifications cuts closer to home than most policy rows.

Why the bar exam matters

In the United States, passing a state bar exam is the gateway to practising law. Law school graduates who do not pass cannot represent clients, give legal advice or use the title of attorney in most states. California enforces its rules strictly, and misrepresenting oneself as a lawyer can carry criminal penalties.

Whether the California Bar Association acts on the watchdog’s complaint will decide if this remains a political embarrassment or becomes a legal problem. Either way, the episode will follow Zacharia into a White House making big personnel moves, from an AI czar for super intelligence to a new communications team.

Frequently asked questions

Did Katie Zacharia pass the bar exam?

No. She admitted on Thursday that she took the California bar exam after graduating from Pepperdine law school in 2011 but did not pass, and never retook it.

Why is she facing scrutiny?

She described herself as a lawyer on television and social media and listed herself as general counsel of a nonprofit, but no record exists of her holding a law licence in any US state.

Has the California Bar Association opened an investigation?

The Campaign for Accountability called on Wednesday for the state bar to investigate. It is not yet confirmed whether an investigation has been opened.