New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia admitted that she hadn't passed the California bar exam during an interview with Fox News's Sean Hannity on Thursday night. This interview was her first direct confirmation since her credentials came under scrutiny in the last few days.
Zacharia's credentials came under question after The Washington Post reported that she had never passed the bar exam in any of the states she lived in, meaning that she is not legally allowed to practice law, and is therefore neither an attorney nor a lawyer.
Searches of attorney directories in California, Texas, and Washington, DC, under both Zacharia's married and maiden name, produced no listings.
The Jerusalem Post found that her LinkedIn profile states she earned a Juris Doctor degree, meaning she is not licensed to practice law.
"You went to Pepperdine Law School but you did not pass the bar exam, correct?" Hannity asked her.
"Correct," Zacharia responded, admitting that she wasn't a licensed attorney.
Lawyer vs attorney, what distinction is Zacharia drawing?
Hannity followed up by asking, "You said you consulted with people who advised you it was okay to call yourself a lawyer but not an attorney, correct?" which Zacharia confirmed to be accurate.
"There's a report out tonight showing 15 social media posts where you identify yourself as an attorney," Hannity said, but Zacharia tried to brush it away, saying that those posts are "just retweets," and adding that she "corrected the record" and "was not endorsing the title."
Although Zacharia has never practiced, nor been licensed to practice law in the US, the Post found that she worked as an associate on the international practice team at Chinese law firm Zhong Lun from 2011-2013. The Washington Post found that Zacharia would not have been able to taken the bar exam in China, as she was not a citizen.
"Why get into this long drawn out discussion as to the difference between a lawyer and an attorney, when most people won't see the difference between the two," Hannnity asked.
"When I went to go engage in media I consulted legal professionals on whether or not I could be labeled a lawyer," Zacharia said. "I wasn't providing legal advice, I was giving a general review of the legal circumstances surrounding it."
Trump introduced Zacharia as an attorney when announcing her role
Despite Zacharia's claims that she avoids identifying herself as an attorney, US President Donald Trump specifically called her an attorney in his message announcing that she would be stepping into the role.
“Katie is a distinguished Graduate of Pepperdine University and the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, an attorney, and a frequent Commentator on outlets, including Fox News and Newsmax,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.
Journalists pressed Zacharia and Trump for more details about her credentials after Zacharia’s first press briefing on Tuesday.
The White House did not clarify whether or not she is a licensed, practicing attorney.