THE NEWSMAN OF INDIA.COM
JAN. 18, 2017
Images of Donald J. Trump and his daughter Ivanka have been used extensively by the Trump Organization and its business partners to sell a wealth of products like clothing and jewelry, luxury real estate, hotels and golf clubs.

Over the last week, the Trump Organization and some of its marketing partners have been removing imagery of Mr. Trump and Ms. Trump from their websites. In the last two days, that process accelerated.

Although federal ethics rules prohibit government employees from using their images to sell products, those rules do not apply to the president. Nevertheless, previous White House ethics offices have acted as if they do.

“We would not allow an image of the president or the first lady — or anyone acting as first lady — to be used on a commercial website to make money,” said Richard W. Painter, a former chief White House ethics lawyer for former President George W. Bush.

On Jan. 11, the president elect announced plans that he said would remove conflicts between his company and his presidency, and Ms. Trump said she would sever ties with the Trump Organization and her own company.

Norman Eisen, former chief White House ethics lawyer for President Obama, said he welcomed those changes but said they did not take care of the overall conflicts stemming from Mr. Trump’s continued ownership of his businesses.

“The problem is, like all of the Trump conflict remedies, these are half-measures and Band-Aids that tape over a gaping wound. Until Mr. Trump definitively severs his ownership with these businesses, the conflicts and the myriad of controversies and risk of scandal and corruption that flow from them are going to continue unabated,” Mr. Eisen said.