Watch: Katie Zacharia Responds to Questions About Her Legal Background During FNC Interview

During Thursday’s broadcast of FNC’s “Hannity,” White House press secretary Katie Zacharia addressed questions about her legal background and discussed her new role.

She acknowledged she hadn’t passed the bar exam despite describing herself as an attorney.

Transcript as follows:

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: All right, here with reaction, President Trump’s brand-new press secretary, Katie Zacharia. We will have more with Matt Towery and Erin Maguire straight ahead. All right, Katie, I know this is a widely viewed interview for you. And you had your first — first moment as press secretary. It’s been widely panned, I’m sure you’re aware. It only lasted 14 minutes. You only took three questions. Questions about your legal background, calling yourself a lawyer. You went to Pepperdine Law School, but you did not pass the bar exam, correct? KATIE ZACHARIA, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Correct. HANNITY: OK. What happened? How did you feel it went, personally? ZACHARIA: Well, Sean, I want to give some background. And it’s nice to be on here with you, and such a privilege to serve as President Trump’s new press secretary. I was given the offer last Wednesday — or I got a phone call last Wednesday. I flew out to D.C. on Thursday. I had a meeting on Friday, was offered the job, flew home to California on Saturday, flew back to Washington on Sunday, was asked to start on Monday, Sean, which is Columbus Day, and so it’s a federal holiday, and have a press briefing at 9:30 in the morning on Tuesday. So what I feel is, I really stepped up and — to the plate to do the press conference, Sean, with very little prep time. I received briefing materials in the morning of Tuesday, and I went to deliver all of the great results that President Trump is delivering for the American people that are not often spread in the national media. So I took it as an opportunity so people would know what he’s doing for Americans and how hard he’s working. And then I delivered some breaking news. I think I’m one of the first press secretaries to deliver staff changes for the administration. And I was honored that President Trump trusted me delivering that information. And then I took several questions. And I think it’s been mixed, Sean, because they have said I only took questions from conservative outlets. However, The Daily Mail is not known to be a conservative outlet or friendly to conservatives, so I do challenge that narrative. And then, as I should have, I ended the conference and I left, as I believe, given the fact that I’d been on the job less than maybe eight hours and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I did my very best, Sean, to deliver for the American people that day. HANNITY: Am I hearing that you think the staff should have prepped you better? ZACHARIA: Well, I believe that, in that time, I could have just given a brief intro and said I’m only here to introduce myself and I want to engage with the press corps. I’m a — someone who wants to build relationships with every single one of you. I, however, have been on the day — on the job for one day, and I now need to — instead of taking questions, probably should have stepped aside. However, I was able to add — I was able to deliver breaking news, which I do believe was the right thing to do as the press secretary, Sean. HANNITY: I saw you were on with Jack Posobiec, I guess, earlier tonight, and you called it a conspiracy theory as it relates to the issue of being a lawyer. Now, you did go to Pepperdine. Pepperdine is a good school, no doubt about it. You took the bar exam, but you didn’t pass the bar exam, correct? ZACHARIA: Yes, Sean. And so… HANNITY: OK. Did you ever take it a second time? ZACHARIA: So, here, I — so, for background, I graduated Pepperdine, got married in the same week, and we had all intent to move out to China. I had already preregistered for the bar exam. And during — basically, during the summer, I knew I would be living in China and the results of the bar were inconsequential, and I sat for it because I didn’t want to have a withdrawal status. And then I moved over to China, and where I did get a job in an international practice of a Chinese law firm. I was doing multi-cross-country border transactions and multimillion-dollar shareholder agreements and… HANNITY: But I want to ask you specifically. I know that part of the story, and you did do all of that. ZACHARIA: Yes. HANNITY: But you did you ever take the bar exam a second time? ZACHARIA: I did not, Sean. HANNITY: Or a third time? ZACHARIA: No. HANNITY: You did not. OK. So you — you said you consulted with many people, and they advised you that it was OK to call yourself a lawyer, but not an attorney, correct? ZACHARIA: Correct. HANNITY: OK, there’s a report out tonight that showed 15 social media posts where you identify yourself as an attorney. ZACHARIA: I think they were retweets, and I corrected the record and said that those — not endorsing the title. They were retweets of a title that had been given. HANNITY: You know, look, that is a very tough room. And I have known a lot of press secretaries over the years. And following on the heels of Karoline Leavitt is very tough. And speaking for Donald Trump makes everything tougher. Why not just say, I went to Pepperdine law school and then took a different career path and I took the bar once and didn’t pass it? Why get into this long, drawn-out definition between the difference between a lawyer and an attorney? Because I don’t think most people see much of a distinction. Why didn’t you just say, I never practiced law? ZACHARIA: Well, Sean, I — when I moved back from the United States, I didn’t retake the bar. I had four kids in six years. It was never my intent to go into the practice of law. When I was at — when I went to go engage in media and give legal analysis, I consulted attorneys and legal professionals as to whether or not they agreed that I could be labeled a lawyer, both because I had a valid Juris Doctor from a good law school, a reputable law school, Pepperdine Law School, and in conjunction with the fact that I did have actual substantive legal experience. I wasn’t providing any legal analysis, Sean, or — excuse me — legal advice. I wasn’t being paid for legal advice. I was giving a general review of the legal circumstances surrounding it. HANNITY: All right. Why only three questions in 14 minutes? And what might you do a little differently going forward? I can give you some unsolicited advice. That’s never going to be a friendly room to you. ZACHARIA: Yes. So, what I — what I would say is, I would absolutely be very well prepared on the briefing, Sean, and I would love — and I do love questions. And I would love to build a relationship with all of those members of the press corps, so there is a substantive component to us having an ability to interact. And I will be very prepared, Sean, and I will step up to the duty of — President Trump has asked me to as press secretary. HANNITY: All right, Katie, we wish you the best of luck in your position. And we do appreciate you coming on. Thank you.

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