White House press secretary, 42, dismisses bar exam results amid credential controversy

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, 42 [Getty Images]

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, 42, said bar exam results "don't really matter" as she faces scrutiny over claims that she failed the California bar exam despite having introduced herself as a lawyer on television and other platforms, Yonhap said.

In an interview with conservative outlet Real America's Voice, Zacharia said she had registered to take the bar exam but followed her husband to China before sitting for it, and that she had not wanted to cancel her registration, according to US media reports Thursday (local time).

"I had just gotten married to someone I had been in a long-distance relationship with for a year and a half — I was so excited and all over the place," she said. "We were like, 'Let's just take it. Let's see what happens.'"

She added that the results "don't really matter," explaining that she "knew I wasn't going to need a law license in China."

Zacharia said she did not give much thought to the bar exam results after moving to China and did not see them as something requiring her attention. She added that her law degree qualified her to work at a Chinese law firm during her time there. "My role as press secretary is to amplify the president's message, communicate with the press, and build and strengthen relationships to clearly convey the administration's message," she said.

Zacharia had regularly introduced herself as a lawyer on television and elsewhere before being named White House press secretary. However, the Wall Street Journal reported that she graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2011 and failed the California bar exam.

In the United States, passing a state bar exam is required to practice law in that state.

White House touts Zacharia's 'unparalleled qualifications'

US President Donald Trump and White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia [Getty Images]

President Donald Trump had also recently introduced Zacharia as a lawyer when presenting her as his new press secretary, according to Yonhap.

Her credentials came under fire after her name did not appear in attorney registration records in California, Texas or Washington, D.C. At her first White House briefing, when a reporter asked which state bar exam she had passed, she replied, "When I moved to China," without elaborating.

In a subsequent statement, she said she had "all the necessary qualifications" and had worked in international transaction law.

The White House backed her up, saying she was not hired to perform legal work.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung described Zacharia as possessing "unparalleled qualifications and exceptional intellect" and said she would perform well as press secretary.

In some US states, identifying oneself as a lawyer or providing legal services without a valid law license can be a punishable offense.

yul@heraldcorp.com