Sources report bar exam failure; White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has not said whether she passed
Questions over bar results
Zacharia addressed her legal credentials in a Thursday interview, saying she had taken the bar exam without stating that she passed. She said the results mattered little to her at the time because she expected to work in China.
Popular Information reported that it found no evidence she was licensed to practice law. The Wall Street Journal reported that she took the bar in 2011 and did not pass. The reports differ from the uncertainty in Zacharia’s public account, and the White House did not answer questions about the outcome.
How Zacharia describes her work
Zacharia has called herself a lawyer, and President Donald Trump referred to her as “an attorney” in a social media post announcing her administration role. In an interview with Real America’s Voice, she said she had consulted people about using the term “lawyer” while not presenting herself as an attorney at law or an Esquire.
She said she had been careful not to claim she was a practicing attorney. Zacharia described her work as international transactional law and said she provided legal analysis, rather than legal advice.
White House response
Asked about reports concerning her credentials, the White House did not directly address them. Instead, it provided a statement from Zacharia saying she had practiced international transaction law with appropriate credentials; a White House official also said she has a JD from Pepperdine.
Earlier in the week, a reporter asked Zacharia which state she had passed the bar in during a White House departure with Trump. She replied that she had moved to China, then gave the same answer when pressed. In a later phone interview with the New York Times, she said she had not heard the question over Marine One and had remained at a distance from the president to respect protocol.
Key points
- Zacharia said she took the bar exam but did not say whether she passed.
- The Wall Street Journal reported she sat for the bar in 2011 and failed.
- The White House did not answer questions about her bar exam result.
- Zacharia said she describes herself as a lawyer, not a practicing attorney.