Washington:
US Vice President Kamala Harris and her family members will uphold the highest ethical requirements, her spokesperson mentioned, asserting that it is the policy of the White House that her name ought to not be utilized in connection with any industrial activity.
The statement comes following media reports that the White House has asked Meena Harris, niece of the vice president, to cease “using her aunt to boost her brand”.
“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,” Sabrina Singh, Deputy Press Secretary to the Vice President, told PTI.
According to Los Angeles Times, the White House has asked Meena Harris not to “build her brand” by making use of the name of the US Vice President.
After Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the election, the transition team’s ethics lawyers told Meena Harris that she could no longer generate clothes or create new books with her aunt’s name or likeness, an unnamed White House official was quoted as saying by the every day.
According to the every day, the White House official mentioned “Vice President Aunty” sweatshirts, Ms Harris-themed swimsuits and other merchandise previously sold, have been not permitted below the present guidelines.
Meena Harris did not respond to a query sent via a social media platform.
After Kamala Harris became the Vice President of the United States of America, her niece has been in numerous news reports.
“The @meena problem goes global” wrote Politico final week. The news report accused Meena Harris of wading into India’s internal politics.
“Her (Meena’s) series of posts have helped provoke a backlash from the Indian government and some of its supporters, adding an unexpected wrinkle to India-US relations, just as Biden is seeking to engage with the country’s leaders,” Politico reported.
The White House, nevertheless, has described such tweets as expression of views of a private citizen.
“What is happening in India is terrifying,” Meena Harris had written in one of her most current tweets on India as she retweeted a news story about the arrest of climate activist Disha Ravi.
In current weeks, there has been a sudden spurt in India-certain tweets by Meena Harris. She has also come out in open in assistance of farmers protesting against the not too long ago enacted agricultural laws and arrest of men and women connected to it.
According to informed sources, the White House believes that her tweets are unlikely to have any influence on India-US connection, to which the Biden administration provides leading priority.