Fox News host Sean Hannity grills Trump's press secretary Katie Zacharia over bar exam failure in interview that stunned commentators
Laughter erupts in the briefing room as Katie Zacharia cuts short her debut White House press conference after accepting just three pre-selected questions in 14 minutes.Three bikini photographs deleted from Katie Zacharia's Instagram account — she had previously condemned women who wear "bikini-style gym attire" as crossing a line.
Sean Hannity pressed Zacharia more forcefully than many observers had anticipated from a sympathetic Fox News host, repeatedly demanding she acknowledge that she had never passed the bar exam and questioning why she had not been open about her law school history from the outset. Zacharia admitted she failed the California bar in 2011, attributing it to the distraction of her marriage, and said a surprise pregnancy had stopped her from attempting it again. Legal experts note that, holding no licence to practise law, she is neither a lawyer nor an attorney.
Trump had referred to Zacharia as "an attorney" and had previously mocked Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris for failing bar exams — both women ultimately passed.
Nonpartisan watchdog Campaign for Accountability has filed a complaint with the State Bar of California, warning that holding yourself out as a lawyer without a licence is a misdemeanour carrying a penalty of up to a year in jail.
Zacharia's disastrous debut briefing ran for just 14 minutes, during which she fielded only three questions from conservative outlets, confused Trump with her husband, and then walked out.
