White House new Press Secretary admits she failed the bar exam

White House new Press Secretary Katie Zacharia has admitted that she failed the bar exam. Her legal career prior to taking office as US President Donald Trump’s chief spokesperson has come under intense public scrutiny, BBC reports.

Zacharia, who started her job at the White House on Monday, previously claimed that she had practiced law before entering politics. Trump also introduced her as a lawyer.

In the United States, law school graduates are not permitted to practice law until they are admitted to the bar in a specific state.

During her first briefing on October 13, in response to a journalist's question about which state she had passed the bar exam in, Zacharia stated in Trump's presence: "When I moved to China." In a later press statement, Zacharia said she had "practiced international transactional law with all the necessary qualifications."

The White House did not specify whether she had passed the bar exam in any US state or other jurisdiction.

On Thursday, Zacharia admitted in an interview with Fox News that she had not passed the exam.

After graduating, she moved to China, where she worked as a lawyer at a Chinese law firm.

Zacharia held her first briefing on October 13, which many journalists deemed a failure. The performance lasted about 15 minutes and consisted mostly of listing Trump's achievements.

During her opening remarks, she barely took her eyes off her prepared notes and generally sounded unconvincing.

After the performance, Trump said he thought "she did very well."

In her Fox News interview, Zacharia said she had very little time to prepare, but felt she had handled the task.