Katie Zacharia told Sean Hannity that the social media posts identifying her as an attorney were retweets, after admitting on air that she took the bar exam and did not pass it.
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The interview came days into Zacharia’s tenure as White House press secretary, a job Trump gave her after Karoline Leavitt stepped down in August. Hannity opened by asking whether she had taken the bar but failed it. She said yes.
He then asked about her earlier explanation, that people had advised her it was okay to call herself a lawyer but not an attorney. She confirmed that was the advice she got. When Hannity brought up a report showing 15 posts where she identified herself as an attorney, Zacharia kept it short. “I think they were retweets,” she said.
The lawyer versus attorney line is the center of her defense, so here is what it means. Most Americans use the two words interchangeably. Technically, a lawyer is someone trained in law, usually with a law degree. An attorney is someone licensed by a state bar to represent clients and practice law. To get that license, you have to pass the bar exam. Katie Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, so her argument is that the degree makes her a lawyer even without the license.
She did not stick to that word, though. Zacharia has described herself as an attorney on LinkedIn, and Fox News and other cable networks have introduced her with that title on air. The retweet answer does not account for the LinkedIn profile or the TV titles.
The questions started before she ever sat down with Hannity. At her first briefing on Tuesday, reporters asked Zacharia where she passed the bar exam. Popular Information, the independent outlet that first dug into her background, found no evidence that she has ever passed a bar exam or been admitted to practice in any state. The Daily Beast found she has not passed the bar in California, and she is not listed as a member of the State Bar of Texas or the D.C. Bar, two places where she says she worked as an attorney.
Before the Hannity sit down, Katie Zacharia’s only response had been a statement to the Daily Mail saying she “practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials.” She did not say what those credentials were. International transaction work, which covers contracts and deals between companies in different countries, does not always require a U.S. law license. Calling yourself an attorney in America generally tells people you hold one.
The White House has not cleared it up. When the Daily Beast asked whether Zacharia ever passed the bar, the White House did not deny it and instead sent a statement from communications director Steven Chueng calling her a “fabulous and wonderful addition to the team.”
The bar exam is not the only part of her past drawing attention. Popular Information also uncovered posts where Zacharia amplified right wing conspiracy theories, including claims that Democratic leaders took part in pedophile rings. When NPR asked about those posts, administration officials responded by praising her without addressing them.
Trump said he picked the 41 year old for her longstanding personal loyalty. She is now the person who stands at the podium and speaks for the administration every day, and her first week has been spent answering questions about herself.
