The White House defended its new press secretary, Katie Zakharia, against questions about her legal background. When President Donald Trump announced his appointment of Ms. Zakharia last week, she was referred to as a lawyer. Ms. Zakharia had previously used the title attorney to introduce herself. But when a writer asked him in which U.S. state she had passed the bar exam on Tuesday, he answered, standing next to the president, "when I went to China." It appears her name was not registered with the bar associations in any of the states where she resided. In defense, the White House communications director, Stephen Chong, said of Ms. Zakharia, "she has unique skills and is very intelligent and can help inform the American people." In response to questions about her skills, in a statement released this week, Katie Zakharia said, "I have worked in international transaction law and have all the skills and qualifications needed." On Wednesday, a watchdog named Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the California State Bar. The organization called for an investigation into whether Katie Zakharia repeatedly presented herself as a person entitled to be a lawyer without a formal attorney license. An act considered a crime under California law.