Meena Harris, a niece was Vice President of the US Kamala Harris, seems to have caused some anxious moments for the White House staff. They are concerned that Meena is using her aunt’s name to build and promote her brand. Meena’s activities may bring unwanted scrutiny on Kamala Harris, her aides believe.
During the campaign, Biden and Harris had repeatedly targeted Donald Trump citing his and his family members’ business. It is likely the current government will face criticism on these very grounds. President Biden is already under the cloud for his son’s dealings.
Meena runs a lifestyle brand and she is making efforts to promote it after Biden-Harris team won. She has capitalised on the name, imagery and slogans of Kamala for her personal benefit by way of using these on her videos, clothes, books and designer headphones. Meena has been using her photos with her aunt on various social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok etc.
Meena has not been accused of any legal crime but that she is using her aunt’s position to leverage herself is being noticed. White House lawyers have told Meena that she can’t produce any product carrying the name or likeness of Kamala Harris.
A White House official said a sweatshirt printed “Vice President Aunty”, and swimsuits and other products which carry the name of Kamala Harris are not allowed under the ethics rules. Even after being briefed by the lawyers, Meena flew on a private plane to attend the inauguration ceremony along with a donor of Biden. She has collaborated on special edition Beats by Dre headphones that used a slogan “The first but not the last”, popularised by Kamala.
Meena also continues to sell her branded clothing carrying messages and slogans used by Kamala during her campaign. Sabrina Singh, a spokeswoman for the Vice President said: “The Vice President and her family will uphold the highest ethical standards.”
Richard Painter, who was ethics czar for President George W Bush, said that Kamala has limited control over her family in this matter. He said that she can legally forbid them from using her name and likeness, but she may not be able to prevent Meena from using her name for personal benefit.
