Hannity's Interview of Press Chief Isn't Too Friendly

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia might have expected a relatively friendly welcome when she appeared on Sean Hannity's Fox show Thursday night. Instead, she had to endure what Mediaite calls an "unexpectedly bruising" interview over her much-discussed status as a lawyer. Zacharia has a law degree from Pepperdine but has never passed the bar or worked as a practicing attorney. However, she has called herself a lawyer because of her degree. "Why not just say 'I went to Pepperdine Law School and then took a different career path?' asked Hannity, per TV Insider. "Why get into this long drawn-out thing about the difference between a lawyer and an attorney? Because I don't think most people see much of a distinction. Why didn't you just say, 'I never practiced law?'"

Zacharia said she consulted with Pepperdine and legal experts about the semantics, adding that she never retook the bar exam after failing once because she moved to China with her husband and then had four children, at which point she never intended on practicing law. Hannity also referenced a "report out tonight that shows 15 social media posts where you identify yourself as an attorney," but Zacharia said those were retweets from others and such. The post at Mediaite rounds up reaction from media analysts and Democratic critics who think the not-so-friendly interview doesn't bode well for Zacharia's longevity as press chief. "She's cooked," writes Democratic Party official Matt Rein.