Eric Garcetti’s goal to become the next US ambassador to India cleared a major hurdle in the Senate on Wednesday, making his confirmation likely later this afternoon.
His nomination was held up for more than a year after he was accused of ignoring sexual harassment complaints from a top consultant.
The procedural vote was a rare cliffhanger for the Senate, which usually deals with nominations whose outcome is almost certain. The vote was 52-42, with seven Republicans voting in favor of the nomination and three Democrats voting against it. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Massie Hirono (D-HI) and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) voted against the nomination.
Soon after, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said, “The relationship between the United States and India is extremely important and it’s very good that we now have an ambassador.”
Garcetti denied under oath that he ever witnessed or “brought to my attention” the conduct of Rick Jacobs, who served inside and outside City Hall as one of his top advisers during the former mayor’s tenure. Jacobs also rejects the allegations.
Garcetti was first nominated as ambassador to India in July 2021 and was confirmed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee six months later.
However, the nomination was dropped after a whistleblower, Garcetti’s former communications director Naomi Seligman, filed a complaint alleging, among other things, that Garcetti committed perjury during his confirmation hearing. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and his staff then conducted an investigation that found Garcetti “probably knew or should have known” about the alleged harassment. Garcetti’s team and the White House disputed the report’s conclusions.
Biden renamed Garcetti earlier this year and passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee 13-8 last week.
Seligman, who recently joined Whistleblower Aid as vice president of foreign affairs, appeared on CNN earlier this week to speak out against Garcetti’s nomination.
She called City Hall’s work environment “toxic” and called Garcetti “a very powerful enabler.” She called Jacob’s tendency to kiss people he encountered an “intimidating tactic” and a “bullying tactic.”
Seligman said she notified 1/3 of the Senate of her efforts to block the nomination. “Unfortunately, the White House put undue pressure on Democrats to vote for Eric Garcetti, because Eric Garcetti was a very, very loyal person to President Biden,” she said.
Senator Chuck Grassley issued a statement before the vote, citing a group photo of Jacob’s hand protecting the groin of the person next to him. Garcetti stands on the other side next to the person. He also noted that his office “identified more than 19 individuals who witnessed or were victims of Jacob’s behavior.”
“This is not a political hit,” Grassley said. “This is a bipartisan effort to stop an inappropriate candidate.”
Garcetti’s team cited a city-commissioned report that concluded Jacobs did not harass Matthew Garza, the LAPD officer in the mayor’s security division who filed a lawsuit against the city do not have. However, Grassley said the report was not heard by a number of witnesses.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
