Trump press secretary explains failed bar exam

Rebecca Falconer

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, a blonde woman in a navy blazer with gold buttons speaks at a podium in the White House briefing room, with an American flag behind her and the White House backdrop. — White House press secretary Katie Zacharia speaks during a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on Oct. 13. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said Thursday that she failed the bar exam and never retook it, explaining that she had planned to move to China after graduating from law school and considered the exam results "inconsequential."

Why it matters: Zacharia's comments during an interview on Fox News' "Hannity" come amid scrutiny of her legal credentials and her use of the title "lawyer" despite not being licensed to practice law.

Driving the news: Zacharia told Fox News host Sean Hannity that she took the bar exam but didn't pass it.

"I knew I would be living in China and the results of the bar were inconsequential," she said. "I sat for it because I didn't want to have a withdrawal status."
Hannity asked Zacharia if she ever took the exam a second or third time and she replied, "No, I did not."

Zoom in: Zacharia told the "Real America's Voice" podcast Thursday that she had consulted multiple people who told her she could describe herself as a lawyer because she held a Juris Doctor (JD) degree and had international legal experience.

"You can call yourself a lawyer, you have a JD, and to buffer that, you have international legal experience in transactional law," she said, recounting the advice she received.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional comment from White House press secretary Katie Zacharia.

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Trump press secretary explains failed bar exam

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