Katie Zacharia's Bar Exam Controversy Takes Center Stage in Hannity Interview

TMZ
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52 Video Views·Oct 16, 2026
I saw you were on with Jack Posobiec, I guess,
earlier tonight, and you called it a conspiracy
theory as it relates to the issue of being a lawyer.
Now, you did go to Pepperdine.
Pepperdine is a good school, no doubt about it.
You took the bar exam, but you didn't pass the bar exam, correct?
Yes, Sean.
Okay, did you ever take it a second time?
So for background, I graduated Pepperdine,
got married in the same week.
and we had all intent to move out to China.
I had already pre-registered for the bar exam,
and basically during the summer,
I knew I would be living in China, and the results of the bar
were inconsequential.
And I sat for it because I didn't want to have a withdrawal status. And
then I moved over to China,
and where I did get a job in an international practice of a Chinese law firm
I was doing cross-country border transactions
and multi-million dollar shareholder agreements.
But I want to ask you specifically,
I know that part of the story, and you did do all of that.
Yes.
But did you ever take the bar exam a second time?
I did not, Sean.
Or a third time?
No.
You did not. Okay.
So you said you consulted with many people,
and they advised you that it was okay to call yourself a lawyer
but not an attorney, correct?
Correct.
OK, there's a report out tonight
that showed 15 social media posts where you identify yourself
as an attorney.
I think they were retweets and I corrected the record
and said that there's not endorsing
the title.
They were retweets of a title that had been given.
And I've known a lot of press secretaries over
the years and following on the heels
of Caroline Leavitt is very tough.
And I am speaking for Donald Trump makes everything tougher.
Why not just say, I went to Pepperdine Law School
and then took a different career path
and I took the bar once and didn't pass it.
Why get into this long, drawn-out definition between
the difference between a lawyer and
an attorney?
Because I don't think most people see much of a distinction.
Why don't you just say, I never practiced law?
Well, Sean, when I moved back from the United States,
I didn't retake the bar.
I had four kids in six years.
It was never my intent to go into the practice of law.
When I went to go engage in media and give legal analysis,
I consulted attorneys and legal professionals as to whether
or not they agreed that I could be labeled a lawyer,
both because I had a valid juris doctor from a good law school,
a reputable law school, Pepperdine Law School, and in conjunction
with the fact that I did have actual substantive legal experience.
I wasn't providing any legal analysis,
Sean, or, excuse me, legal advice.
I wasn't being paid for legal advice.
I was giving a general review
of the legal circumstances surrounding it.
