New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, under scrutiny over her legal credentials, seemed to acknowledge Thursday (October 15, 2026) that she had failed the bar exam, but argued she was accurate in presenting herself as a lawyer.
But there is no evidence to suggest that the 41-year-old press secretary has ever passed the bar exam, required to obtain a license to practice law in the United States, after graduating from Pepperdine University with a law degree. When questioned on Thursday (October 15, 2026) by conservative media outlet Real America’s Voice, Ms. Because i knew I wouldn’t need the bar in China, and we left shortly thereafter,” she said, the results are somewhat inconsequential. She explained that she didn’t retake the bar exam upon returning to the United States due to the birth of her first child.
Zacharia said she had registered to take the bar exam but was then “distracted and overwhelmed” by plans to move with her husband to China. “We just said, ‘Let’s take this time, and I’ll take the bar and see what happens.
