White House Press Secretary, Katie Zacharia has admitted that she failed the United States bar examination, amid growing scrutiny over her description of herself as a lawyer.

Zacharia, 41, made the admission during a Fox News interview on Thursday, following questions about her legal qualifications since her appointment by President Donald Trump last week.

When asked by Fox News host Sean Hannity whether she had taken and failed the bar examination, Zacharia responded in the affirmative.

The disclosure followed questions about her professional credentials after she gave an unclear response when asked where she had passed the examination, which is generally required to obtain a licence to practise law in the United States.

Although Zacharia graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2011, a law degree alone does not authorise graduates to practise law without meeting the relevant licensing requirements.

In a separate interview with conservative media outlet Real America’s Voice on Thursday, Zacharia explained that she had registered for the examination but was overwhelmed by preparations to relocate to China with her husband.

She said the outcome did not significantly concern her at the time because she expected to live in China, where she believed she would not need a US bar licence.

Zacharia also confirmed that she had not retaken the examination, explaining that she had four children within six years and had never intended to pursue a career in legal practice.

The press secretary, however, defended her use of the title of lawyer, saying people in the profession had told her that her law degree and business law experience in China justified the description.

She previously worked at a law firm in Beijing and maintained that her professional activities involved providing legal analysis rather than legal advice.

Meanwhile, the political ethics organisation Campaign for Accountability has called on the California Bar Association to investigate Zacharia’s professional credentials.

The organisation argued on Wednesday that describing oneself as a lawyer without the appropriate licence could constitute a criminal offence under California law.

Zacharia held her first press briefing at the White House on Tuesday, answering questions from three journalists during the relatively brief session.

She replaced Karoline Leavitt, who left the position in August to focus on caring for her young children.