White House press secretary Katie Zacharia defended her debut briefing and addressed questions about her legal credentials in an interview with Sean Hannity on Thursday. She said she had less than a day to prepare before taking questions in the briefing room on Tuesday, shortly after President Donald Trump announced her appointment on Friday.
Zacharia told Hannity she received briefing materials on Tuesday morning and had been on the job for fewer than eight hours before appearing before reporters. She said she did her best under the circumstances and wanted to provide information to the public.
The briefing lasted about 14 minutes, and Zacharia took three questions. Much of her remarks highlighted the Trump administration’s accomplishments ahead of the midterm elections. Her limited time answering questions drew criticism, as did claims that she called on only conservative-leaning news outlets.
Zacharia disputed that characterization, pointing to the Daily Mail as an outlet she said was not known for being conservative or supportive of conservatives. She also described the briefing as an opportunity to deliver significant news: that the administration had asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign from her ambassador role.
Questions about Zacharia’s professional background followed a Wall Street Journal report that she had not passed the California bar exam. During the Hannity interview, he cited social media posts that identified her as an attorney. Zacharia said she believed the posts were retweets and that she had corrected the record, explaining that the title had appeared in material she reposted rather than being an endorsement of the designation.
Zacharia said she took the bar exam once after graduating from Pepperdine Law and did not sit for it again. She explained that she married the same week she graduated and intended to move to China. She said she had preregistered for the exam and chose to take it rather than withdraw, while believing the result would not affect her plans to live abroad.
She also said that, before providing legal analysis in media appearances, she consulted attorneys and other legal professionals about whether she could be described as a lawyer. She cited her juris doctor degree and what she characterized as substantive legal experience. The interview did not independently establish the extent or nature of that experience.
Zacharia’s first briefing and credentials had also drawn public criticism, including from comedian Jimmy Kimmel, whom the source says compared her intelligence to that of a kindergartner. Zacharia said she intends to keep working in the role and hopes to build better relationships with the White House press corps. She said she wants future interactions with reporters to be more substantive and pledged to be prepared for the responsibilities Trump assigned her.
