Katie Zacharia, the newly appointed White House press secretary, addressed criticism about her legal credentials during an appearance on ‘Hannity.’ The Pepperdine Law graduate began her role at the White House shortly after President Donald Trump announced her appointment, leaving her with limited preparation time.
Zacharia said, ‘I really stepped up to the plate to do the press conference.’ She received briefing materials on the morning of her first day, giving her less than eight hours before facing the media.
During her debut briefing, Zacharia answered three questions in a 14-minute session. She focused much of her briefing on highlighting achievements of the Trump administration before the midterm elections.
Criticism arose over her handling of questions, specifically from conservative-leaning media. Zacharia defended her performance, stating she tried her best given the minimal preparation time. She challenged claims that she only engaged with conservative outlets, noting that she also entertained questions from other media like the Daily Mail.
“Given the fact that I’d been on the job less than eight hours and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I did my very best to deliver for the American people that day,” Zacharia stated.
During her initial briefing, Zacharia delivered significant news, announcing the Trump administration’s request for Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign from her ambassador position. She expressed confidence in her decision to report the news.
In addition to criticism of her performance, Zacharia’s legal credentials have been questioned following a Wall Street Journal report that she failed the California bar exam. Hannity addressed this by referring to social media posts where Zacharia was identified as an attorney.
Zacharia explained the posts were retweets with titles not endorsed by her. She shared that, having not passed the bar, she chose not to retake it due to personal plans to move overseas.
She stated that she had sought advice from legal experts about labeling herself as a lawyer, given her juris doctor degree from Pepperdine University and her legal experience.
Facing criticism from figures like comedian Jimmy Kimmel, Zacharia stated her intent to strengthen ties with the White House press corps for more substantial interactions.
“I hope to build a relationship with all of those members of the press corps,” Zacharia said. “I will be very prepared and step up to my duty as press secretary.”