Facing Scrutiny, Katie Zacharia Admits Bar Exam Was a Fail

Katie Zacharia has a law degree—but not a law license, she now acknowledges. The White House press secretary confirmed in an interview Thursday with conservative commentator Jack Posobiec that she never passed the bar exam, despite calling herself a lawyer and President Trump labeling her an attorney. Zacharia said she failed the California bar in 2011, CBS News reports. She said she was distracted at the time while preparing to move to China, where she says she worked in international transaction law, for her husband's job. "The results are somewhat inconsequential because I knew I wouldn't need the bar in China," Zacharia said, per the Hill.

She told Fox News in April that she had "lived in Beijing as a corporate lawyer for three years." In a statement to CBS on Thursday, Zacharia said she had "practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials." Her self-descriptions came under scrutiny quickly after her appointment as press secretary. A watchdog group has filed a complaint with the State Bar of California, saying she may have violated state law by presenting herself as a lawyer without a license. Zacharia maintains she never called herself an "attorney at law" and said she was advised that using "lawyer" was permissible. License or not, the White House called Zacharia "uniquely qualified" for the job.