A US Senatorial committee has scheduled voting on the nomination of Eric Garcetti for the position of America's envoy to India on February 28.
His nomination, however, has been shadowed by controversy over sexual harassment. Reportedly, it is Garcetti's inaction against his aide Rick Jacobs's sexual misconduct that has landed him in hot water.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Robert Menendez has scheduled a markup vote on Garcetti's nomination for February 28 along with several other diplomatic nominations.
This is normally a procedural matter, given that Garcetti has been renominated by President Joe Biden this January after the last Congress failed to confirm his nomination.
However, this gains significance in view of the fact that the ruling Democratic party did not have enough votes in the last Senate to get him through.
The position of US Ambassador to India has been pending for more than two years now; the longest period of a US ambassador not being confirmed.
Jacobs was Garcetti's aide when the latter served as the mayor of Los Angeles from 2013 to 2022. Jacobs reportedly meted out unwanted hugs, massages and crude sex banter. And after more allegations against Jacobs leaked via various news accounts and deposition testimony, others have come forth, making accusations against Jacobs.
Senior Republican Senator Marco Rubio placed a hold on Garcetti's nomination on February 25 saying, “One of these nominees has ignored credible sexual assault accusations in his prior office.” Garcetti has maintained that he wasn't aware of sexual misconduct by Jacobs and has said so under oath in front of the Senate. In May 2022, Republican Senator Charles E. Grassley in a report stated it was“extremely unlikely” that Garcetti was unaware of the aide’s alleged inappropriate behaviour.
The White House, however, stated that President Joe Biden backs Garcetti. “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 White House said.
Garcetti was originally nominated several months after Biden took office, but he never received a vote of the full Senate. "We see this as a very important nomination,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in January 2023. “We're hopeful that the full Senate will confirm him promptly.”
However, according to experts, even if Garcetti was to win a confirmation now, his tenure in Delhi would be short and uncertain, as US elections are due in November 2024. As of now, the Democrats have a slim majority of 51-49 and the confirmation has a greater chance of going through.
– With PTI inputs
