Senate Confirms Former LA Mayor Eric Garcetti as Ambassador to India

Eric Garcetti, the former mayor of Los Angeles, will serve as the Biden administration’s first Indian ambassador. He fills a nearly 2-year gap after the Senate confirmed him on March 15.

In the end Garcetti crossed the finish line with Senate Republicans. He was confirmed in 52-42 votes despite not having support from some Democrats.

Although Garcetti was initially nominated by President Joe Biden for the 2021 role, his confirmation was hampered when he was accused in ignoring sexual harassment allegations against Rick Jacobs (one of his former advisers).

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R.Iowa), requested a Senate investigation. It found it was “extremely unlikely” Garcetti didn’t know about Jacobs’. “pervasive, widespread, and notorious” behavior.

The White House criticized the report and described it as “a joke.” “partisan” “a hit job from the beginning.”

However, Garcetti’s confirmation process was stalled and Biden renominated Garcetti for the ambassadorship on January 3.

Most Democrats supported Garcetti’s nomination in the final vote. However, there were some who disagreed.

Sen. Mazie Hairono (D. Hawaii), had originally said that she would vote to confirm Garcetti. However, she told NBC News, March 15, that she had changed her minds. “information that was given to me in confidence, but very credible, which is leading to my no vote.”

Senators Sherrod (D.Ohio) & Mark Kelly (D.Ariz.), voted against Garcetti.

A number of Republican senators supported his confirmation in the interim, including Todd Young from Indiana, Susan Collins of Maine and Bill Hagerty, of Tennessee.

Hagerty was joined by Young and Democrats at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats last week to push Garcetti’s nomination. This highlighted the importance for the Ambassadorship.

“Senator Hagerty believes that for more than two years, the Biden administration and Senate Democrats have failed to get a Senate-confirmed ambassador to India—the world’s largest democracy, a rising economic power, and one of our most important strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific,” A Hagerty spokesperson spoke to The Epoch Times on March 8, in a statement.

“As a former U.S. ambassador to Japan, Senator Hagerty knows firsthand that this is a critical U.S. diplomatic position and believes the Senate should vote on it.”

Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer (D.N.Y.), echoed this sentiment on March 15, just before the final vote. “The United States-India relationship is extremely important, and it’s a very good thing we now have an ambassador.”