US vice president Kamala Harris’s niece Meena Harris was told not to write any more books using her aunt’s name or image, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The lawyers for the transition team also asked her clothing company to stop selling 'Vice-President Aunty' jumpers or swimsuits, the report added.
The day before Harris was sworn in as vice-president, her niece released a children’s book called Ambitious Girl that shot to the top of the bestseller list.
According to reports, the book with mentions about the vice president and the accompanying promotional activities, have worried the Biden administration.
A branch of Meena Harris's company makes political advertisements. It was credited with helping to mobilise voters for the run-off election for two key Senate seats in Georgia last month.
Responding to these reports, the White House said the vice-president and her family will uphold 'the highest ethical standards', adding that her name should not be used in any commercial activities to suggest an endorsement.
“The vice-president and her family will uphold the highest ethical standards and it’s 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,” deputy press secretary for the vice-president Sabrina Singh said in a statement.
Reports said that the Biden administration wanted to distinguish itself from the Trump era, during which the president’s relations appeared to profit from their proximity to power.
Before the inauguration Biden had vowed to keep his family away from the administration.
"My son, my family, will not be involved in any business, any enterprise, that is in conflict with or appears to be in conflict," he told CNN, adding that his administration would implement rules to prevent it.
He also promised to uphold civility in his administration. saying that if he heard that a White House employee had disrespected or talked down to someone “I will fire you on the spot”.
On Friday(12) the White House said that it had suspended Ducklo, 32, who had been a press secretary for the Biden campaign. At the weekend his resignation was accepted.
According to reports, Ducklo started dating Alexi McCammond, an Axios political reporter, in November. When Tara Palmeri, 34, the Politico journalist, approached him about it to write a story, he was said to have threatened her and accused her of jealousy.
Kulsuma Aktergetty images