Biden re-nominates Garcetti as India ambassador
President Joe Biden Tuesday re-nominated former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as ambassador to India after an earlier nomination stalled over accusations that Garcetti ignored sexual assault and harassment allegations against a former top aide.
The President plans to renew several stalled nominations, including that of former Metro CEO Phil Washington to become the new head of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Garcetti was originally nominated by Biden to be the U.S. ambassador to India on July 9, 2021. Garcetti's Senate confirmation process for the ambassador post stalled over questions about the ex-mayor's knowledge of alleged harassment by Rick Jacobs, a former senior adviser.
An investigation into the matter last year concluded that it was "more probable than not" that Jacobs "sexually
harassed multiple individuals and made racist comments towards others." It also found it "extremely unlikely" that Garcetti was unaware of the behavior, saying that "by all accounts, Mayor Garcetti is very involved in the day-to-day operation of his office."
The White House blasted the report, saying in a statement, "This partisan report was a hit job from the beginning, and many of the claims have already been conclusively debunked by more serious independent reports. The President has confidence in Mayor Garcetti and believes he will be an excellent representative in India at a critical moment and calls for the Senate to swiftly confirm him."
Garcetti has repeatedly denied any knowledge of the alleged harassing behavior by Jacobs. Following the report's release, he said in a statement that he "strongly" disagreed with its conclusions.
