Katie Zacharia seems to throw Trump under the bus for not passing the bar: ‘Those questions weren’t asked’
Por Rhian Lubin — – World RSS Feed
Katie Zacharia seems to throw Trump under the bus for not passing the bar: ‘Those questions weren’t asked’
Zacharia has been doing damage control on Fox News, but even seemed to dig herself deeper into a hole when served probing questions by the Trump-friendly hosts
Rhian Lubin in New York Friday 16 October 2026 15:25 BST
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Embattled White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said that no one in the Trump administration ever asked about her legal credentials after it emerged that she never passed the bar exam despite previously describing herself as an attorney.
Zacharia appeared Friday on Fox & Friends, where she appeared to throw President Donald Trump under the bus and raised questions about the vetting process. She was forced to admit she never passed the bar exam after describing herself as a lawyer in more than a dozen TV appearances amid pressure to clarify her credentials.
The California native and mom of four has been doing damage control on Fox News but was not served the softball questions usually reserved for Republicans and Trump officials.
Co-host Lawrence Jones, though, was almost apologetic in asking Zacharia whether she regretted not informing the president that she never passed the bar exam.
“Do you wish you would have disclosed to the president about the bar and not passing the bar?” he asked Zacharia.
open image in gallery“Yeah, well Lawrence, those questions weren’t asked,” she said, seemingly throwing it back on Trump and his advisers.
“I’m being hired as White House press secretary, not White House counsel.”
Zacharia’s response prompted more questions from strategists and journalists about the vetting process.
“Fox News isn’t treating her with kid gloves. It doesn’t bode well for Katie’s future,” said Republican strategist Melik Abdul. “My guess is that her sophomore performance will have to be far more superior and convincing than her first. Otherwise, she will be fired and deserves it for compromising Trump.”
Breitbart reporter John Binder said that the press secretary’s comments “seemed to confirm” a Daily Mail report that Zacharia was not fully vetted.
The White House referred to Zacharia’s comments when The Independent asked about the vetting process.
In the same Fox & Friends segment, Zacharia struggled to answer whether she still has the confidence of the president after a tough first week in the job.
open image in gallery“Do you think you still have the confidence of the president?” Jones asked Zacharia, but the press secretary floundered.
“Err, I…I’m standing here and I was able to travel with him through all of the midterm convention, excuse me, the midterm rallies,” Zacharia said. “And I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me.”
Trump referred to Zacharia as an “attorney” in his Truth Social post announcing her to the role.
Following her 14-minute press briefing debut on Tuesday, where Zacharia only took three questions before pulling the plug, Trump gave her the opportunity to answer a question about where she passed the bar exam before they boarded Marine One.
“When I moved to China,” Zacharia replied, causing confusion. She later said that she misheard the question and thought a reporter asked, “Where were you after law school?’”
Zacharia received an unexpected grilling from Fox News anchor Sean Hannity Thursday, who is close with Trump, leaving critics stunned and saying they had never seen the conservative presenter press a Republican, let alone a Trump White House official, so hard.
“Hannity is moving in for the kill,” observed journalist Aaron Rupar on X, while The Bulwark’s Will Sommer commented, “This is the toughest interview I’ve ever seen Sean Hannity give to a Republican.”
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Katie ZachariaDonald TrumpWhite HouseFox News
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