Zacharia says she misheard question on where she took bar exam

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said that she misheard a shouted question about where she passed the bar exam from a reporter earlier this week, leading her to say that she passed the exam when she moved to China.

“I assumed the question was, ‘Where were you after law school?’” Zacharia said in a phone call with The New York Times on Wednesday.

The president was originally asked a question about which state Zacharia passed the bar exam in, before he turned back to her to ask “which state?” The interaction took place on the White House South Lawn as Trump and Zacharia prepared to leave for a campaign trip to Alaska just after Zacharia’s first turn in the White House briefing room.

“That’s all I could hear over the sound of Marine One,” Zacharia told the publication . “And, wanting to respect protocol, the distance behind the president, kept me from moving closer to hear the question.”

The development comes as Zacharia’s legal credentials have come under intense scrutiny after the left-leaning newsletter Popular Information reported that Zacharia is not licensed to practice law in the U.S. or Washington, D.C.

The Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday that Zacharia sat for the California bar exam after she received her law degree from Pepperdine University, but she did not pass. The Journal reported that Zacharia moved to China shortly after and took a job as an associate at the Zhong Lun Law Firm.

The watchdog group Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the State Bar of California on Wednesday over her claims that she is a lawyer.

Despite the pushback, the White House is standing behind Zacharia, who was tapped for the job on Friday.

“Katie is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement. “She is uniquely qualified and whip smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his Administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as Press Secretary.”