New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said she was too “distracted” by her marriage to pass the California bar exam and that a surprise pregnancy later kept her from taking it again.
On Thursday, Zacharia spoke with Real America’s Voice host Jack Posobiec in her first on-camera interview since her widely mocked debut at the White House podium on Tuesday.
In addition to questioning her halting delivery and abrupt departure from the briefing room, Posobiec asked President Donald Trump’s top spokesperson why she had been described as a “lawyer” despite failing the bar exam—an issue first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday night.
“I had already pre-registered to take the bar. And I didn’t want to withdraw from that. And we knew we would be moving out to China,” Zacharia said. “And I was obviously incredibly distracted and overwhelmed and excited for finally being married to someone who I’d been long distance from for at least a year.”
She said the exam results were “inconsequential” because she did not expect to need them after moving to China.
“There’s no Chinese bar,” Zacharia said. “I had enough credentials, which was my law degree to be able to do this practice.”
Posobiec then asked why she did not attempt the bar exam after returning to the United States.
“Well, when we moved back Jack, we got a surprise baby,” she replied. “We had four kids in six years.”
New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia (pictured) said marriage and motherhood prevented her from ever passing the bar exam during her interview with Jack Posobiec
Jack Pobosiec (right) pressed Katie Zacharia (left) over her use of the term “lawyer” despite her never passing the bar exam
Zacharia acknowledged that the “miscommunication” about her professional credentials stemmed from her decision to call herself a “lawyer.”
“And I consulted for a very long time many people in the field: ‘Is it OK and acceptable if I label myself lawyer? Not attorney-at-law, not Katie Zacharia, esquire, but lawyer, and provide legal analysis, not advice?’” she said. “They said ‘absolutely’ across the board.”
Some legal scholars have challenged that reasoning. Stephen Gillers, a professor at New York University School of Law, told the Washington Post, “A J.D. degree does not make you a lawyer.”
Zacharia also pointed to her international legal background as support for her description of herself.
“The truth is, I was very careful how I executed this and I never came across as someone who was an attorney-at-law,” she said.
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The replacement for Karoline Leavitt also described how quickly she was elevated to the White House briefing room. Zacharia said Trump called her last Wednesday, she flew to Washington, DC, on Thursday, and interviewed for—and accepted—the press secretary position on Friday.
“On Monday I showed up,” she said. “Wants a briefing Tuesday morning,” she recalled of Trump’s request.
“And typically Jack, briefs are in the afternoon, 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m., where the press secretary has ample amount of time to have discussed with all the necessary people, get all the right information, be briefed, and walk out,” she explained.
New press secretary Katie Zacharia spent only 14 minutes at the White House podium on Tuesday, drawing criticism for her unsteady performance
Press secretary Katie Zacharia (left) stands behind President Donald Trump (right) on Tuesday morning before he left for Alaska for a campaign rally
In Zacharia’s case, she received the briefing materials Monday night, but they weren’t fully baked until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
‘I never had a full briefing beforehand. And I went out and I effectuated the …’ she said, trailing off.
Posobiec asked Zacharia if the briefing had been kept intentionally short.
Her whole appearance lasted just 14 minutes – with the press secretary calling on just three reporters, including the Daily Mail.
‘Yeah, so knowing that White House protocol is pretty specific, it was absolutely my goal to keep it short,’ she answered. ‘Considering that he is his own best spokesperson.’
The President was expected to leave for Alaska shortly after she wrapped up.
Zacharia also conceded that she believed an impression on Saturday Night Live was coming.
Trump’s first press secretary, Sean Spicer, got lampooned by a water gun waving gender-bending Melissa McCarthy.
‘I know it’s coming, yes. I think – who would I like to have play me? Maybe a Scarlett Johansson-type character,’ she floated.
Johansson, who is married to SNL’s Colin Jost, has repeatedly been featured on the show, including a viral appearance as Republican Senator Katie Britt.
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