Former White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia is setting the record straight about her legal background, admitting that she never passed the bar exam.
Zacharia, 41, who previously described herself as a lawyer and was referred to as an “attorney” by President Donald Trump, came under scrutiny during her first week on the job after a rocky debut at the White House podium on Tuesday.
“You went to Pepperdine Law School but you did not pass the bar exam, correct?” Fox News host Sean Hannity asked Zacharia in an interview.
“Correct,” she said in response. “So for background, I graduated from Pepperdine, got married in the same week.”
Katie Zacharia Admits She Did Not Take 2nd Bar Exam
Zacharia went on to elaborate, “We had all intent to move to China. I had already pre-registered for the bar exam, basically during the summer. I knew I would be living in China and the result of the bar were inconsequential. I sat for it because I didn’t want to have a withdrawal status.”
Hannity then asked whether she had retaken the bar exam after failing her first attempt.
“Did you ever take it a second time or third time?” Hannity asked, to which Zacharia replied, “No, I did not.”
Zacharia’s legal credentials came into question after her first White House press briefing drew criticism over her apparent nervousness and the limited number of reporters she called on during the 14-minute session.
Trump tapped Zacharia to replace former press secretary Karoline Leavitt, announcing her appointment just days before she took the podium for the first time.
Katie Zacharia Explains Why She Calls Herself a Lawyer
In the same interview, Zacharia clarified why she refers to herself as a lawyer despite not passing the bar exam.
“So you said you consulted with many people and they advised you it was okay to call yourself a lawyer but not an attorney, correct? Hannity asked. “Correct,” Zacharia replied
Hannity then brought up a report identifying 15 social media posts in which Zacharia referred to herself as an attorney.
“I think they were retweets,” she clarified. “I corrected the record and said it’s not endorsing the title. They were retweets of the title that had been given.”
Hannity then asked why Zacharia hadn’t been upfront about her legal background from the beginning.
“Why not say I took the bar and didn’t pass it?” he pressed. “Why get in this drawn-out definition of an attorney and a lawyer? Why didn’t you just say I never practiced law?”
In response, Zacharia said she never intended to practice law after moving back, noting that she did not retake the bar and had four kids in six years.
“When I went to go engage in media and give legal analysis, I consulted attorneys and legal professionals as to whether or not they agreed that I could be labeled a lawyer,” Zacharia explained. “Both because I had a valid Juris Doctor from a reputable law school, Pepperdine, and in conjunction with the fact that I did have actual substantive legal experience.”
She clarified, “I wasn’t providing any legal analysis, Sean, or legal advice. I wasn’t being paid for legal advice. I was giving a general review of the legal circumstances surrounding it.”
Zacharia’s time as White House press secretary came to an abrupt end on October 16, 2026, just five days after she took on the role.
Former White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Admits She Did Not Pass Bar Exam