WASHINGTON — Katie Zacharia faced a tough grilling from Fox News host Sean Hannity, whose pointed questions on the new White House press secretary's rocky debut and law credentials only added the scrutiny of her first week on the job.
Hannity, a conservative commentator who typically gives friendly interviews to Trump officials, took a much different tone with Zacharia during her Oct. 15 appearance. He started by asking what happened during her "widely panned" first press briefing that lasted just 14 minutes and saw her call on only three reporters.
Zacharia, 41, pointed to the back-and-forth cross-country trips she took from California to Washington D.C. after being offered the job last week, saying it gave her little time to prepare for her first
briefing on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 13. She said she didn't receive "briefing materials" until shortly before the briefing.
"What I feel is I really stepped up to the plate with very little prep time," Zacharia said. "Given the fact that I'd been on the job less than maybe eight hours and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I did my very best, Sean, to deliver for the American people that day."
Hannity, whose nightly television show "Hannity "is watched regularly by Trump, pushed back.
"Am I hearing that you think the staff should have prepped you better?" Hannity asked.
Zacharia responded by saying she could have just given a brief introduction during the press briefing, adding that she "probably should have stepped aside" instead of taking questions. But she noted she was able to deliver "breaking news" ‒ that the White House had asked for the resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle as U.S. ambassador to Greece.
She also took exception with the characterization from many that she took questions from only "conservative outlets," arguing the Daily Mail is "not friendly to conservatives." Reporters from Breitbart News and Fox News were the other two publications she called on.
Hannity: 'Why didn't you just say, I never practiced law?'
Hannity's exchange with Zacharia got more tense when the topic turned to Zacharia's legal credentials. Despite long referring to herself publicly as a lawyer, Zacharia confirmed to USA TODAY in an interview earlier in the day that she failed the California bar exam in 2011 and never obtained a law license in the United States.
Zacharia, who graduated from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011, said she took the bar exam the same week she got married before moving to China with her husband. She said she worked for a Chinese law firm’s international-practice team on multimillion-dollar shareholder agreements for investments, a job that didn't require a law license.
"I had already pre-registered for the bar exam, and basically during the summer, I knew I would be living in China and the result of the bar would be inconsequential. I sat for it because I didn't want to have a withdraw status," she said.
Zacharia has said she consulted with Pepperdine’s president about how she could identify herself, and was told not to identify as an "attorney" or use “esquire” but that she could call herself a lawyer.
Hannity, though, referenced a story from CNN ‒ a Fox News rival network ‒ detailing how she shared 15 social media posts calling herself an "attorney."
"I think they were retweets and I corrected the record and said those were not endorsing the title," Zacharia said.
Hannity seemed bewildered. "You know, that is a very tough room. And I've known a lot of press secretaries over the years. And following on the heels of Karoline Leavitt is very tough, and 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?'" Hannity continued. "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 didn't you just say, 'I never practiced law?'"
Zacharia said she had four children in six years after she returned to the United States and that it was never her intent to take the bar exam a second time. She reiterated receiving advice that she could nonetheless call herself a lawyer.
Some 'unsolicited advice' for new press secretary
While having a law license isn't a requirement for her work as press secretary, Zacharia has faced questions about whether she misrepresented herself and potentially violated the law. Many legal experts say self-identifying as a lawyer Zacharia's case is both inappropriate and unethical.
Campaign for Accountability, a watchdog group, filed a complaint against Zacharia with the State Bar of California on Oct. 14 calling for an investigation into whether she broke California law “by repeatedly holding herself out as a lawyer.” The complaint also asks the California Bar to determine whether Zacharia’s work for the conservative group Fix California violated the law. Zacharia’s LinkedIn bio says she also worked as general counsel for Fix California from 2024 to 2025.
Hannity ended the interview by asking, "Why only three questions in 14 minutes?" He then offered what he called "some unsolicited advice," telling her, "That's never going to be a friendly room to you," referring to the White House press briefing room.
"What I would say is I would absolutely be very well prepared on the briefing, Sean, and I would love ‒ and I do love ‒ questions, and I would like to build a relationship with all those members of the press corps, so there is a substantive component for us having an ability to interact." she said.
"And I will be very prepared, Sean, and I will step up to the duty President Trump has asked me to a press secretary," Zacharia said.
As she gave her answer, outro music started to play, cuing the end of the segment.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Katie Zacharia grilled by Trump ally Sean Hannity, adding to rough start
