Zacharia blames marriage distraction for failing bar exam then deflects to Trump when pressed on 'lawyer' claim
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.
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia cited her marriage as a "distracted" period that led her to fail the California bar exam, and attributed never retaking it to a surprise pregnancy, as the controversy over her credentials grew on Friday. When pressed on why she had continued to describe herself as a lawyer, she appeared to shift responsibility to President Trump, saying the questions about her legal training "weren't asked" of her. Legal experts, among them NYU professor Stephen Gillers, have rejected her argument that "lawyer" and "attorney" represent a meaningful or legitimate distinction.
Zacharia's first briefing, held Tuesday, ran only 14 minutes, fielded just three questions from conservative outlets, and included a moment in which she confused Trump with her own husband.
Fox News host Sean Hannity, who typically gives Trump allies an easy ride, pressed her so aggressively that observers described it as the toughest interview they had ever seen him conduct with a Republican.
Trump has spent years ridiculing Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris for failing bar exams — both women ultimately passed.
