US Vice President Kamala Harris and her family will uphold the highest ethical standards, her spokesperson said while establishing that according to the White House’s policy, her name should not be used in any commercial activity.
Deputy Press Secretary to Vice President Sabrina Singh said: “The Vice President and her family will uphold the highest ethical standards and it is the White House’s policy that the Vice President’s name should not be used in connection with any commercial activities that could reasonably be understood to imply an endorsement or support.” The statement followed after media reports, which stated that the White House has urged the niece of Kamala Harris, Meena Harris, to stop using her aunt to boost her brand.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the White House has directed Meena not to “build her band” by using the Vice President’s name. The report also quoted an unnamed White House official who said that after Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the elections, the transition team’s ethics lawyer instructed Meena that she could no longer produce clothing or write new books with her aunt’s name or likeness. The official also said that under the current law, previously sold products including, Vice President Aunty sweatshirts, Harris-themed swimsuits, and others were not allowed.
Meena owns a company named Phenomenal that sells socially conscious T-shirts and sweatshirts. One of her books is titled Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea and another book named Ambitious Girl was released before the inauguration.
As we have reported earlier, Meena through her tweets has raised her voice in support of the farmers protest in India, which attracted severe criticism. However, she has continued to extend her support to the farmers. A news report in Politico accused Meena of wading into India’s internal politics but the White House described the tweets as expressions of views of a private citizen.
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