Zacharia Says She Failed Bar Exam as Watchdog Seeks Probe

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said she took the California bar exam after graduating from Pepperdine University in 2011 but did not pass and never retook it, as questions about her use of the title “lawyer” drew a request for an investigation by the State Bar of California. In interviews this week, Zacharia said she had not passed the exam. She described its result as inconsequential because she expected to move to China and believed she would not need the California credential there. She said she later worked in an international practice at a Chinese law firm and had not retaken the exam after returning to the United States. Zacharia has described herself publicly as a lawyer, including in media appearances, and President Donald Trump called her an attorney when announcing her appointment. She said she consulted people in the field about the terminology and was advised she could use “lawyer,” but not “attorney at law” or “esquire,” given her law degree and international legal experience. She has said she was careful about how she described her background and was not providing legal advice. The State Bar of California said it had no record of Zacharia being...