White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia confirmed Thursday night that she did not pass the California bar exam, settling days of questions about her legal credentials. "You went to Pepperdine Law School but you did not pass the bar exam, correct?" Fox News host Sean Hannity asked. "Correct," Zacharia answered.
Earlier Thursday, Zacharia told Real America's Voice that the bar result was "somewhat inconsequential" to her because she was moving to China in 2011 for her husband's work. She said she had already registered for the exam and chose not to withdraw, but was "incredibly distracted" by the move and her new marriage. "After moving to China, I didn't really think much of the bar results," she said.
Zacharia called the controversy "misinformation" and "miscommunication." She said people in the legal profession told her she could describe herself as a "lawyer" because she holds a law degree, but not as an "attorney at law," and that she could offer "legal analysis, not legal advice." "The truth is, is I was very careful how I executed this," she said. The White House has repeatedly said she practiced with "all the appropriate credentials."
The questions began with a report from the newsletter Popular Information, which said Zacharia had called herself an attorney on television and listed a general counsel job on her résumé. The Wall Street Journal first reported Wednesday that she took the bar but did not pass. Two nonprofit groups have filed complaints asking the State Bar of California to investigate whether she engaged in the unlawful practice of law, including in her general counsel role at Fix California, the group founded by Richard Grenell. Zacharia did not address that role in the interview.
Photo: The White House photo, October 13, 2026 (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
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