As Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's confirmation to be the next US ambassador to India is increasingly in doubt, President Biden is still confident about Garcetti and believes he will be an excellent representative in India.
According to the White House, POTUS continues to express confidence about the prospects of Garcetti's confirmation.
"President has confidence in Mayor Garcetti and he believes he will be an excellent representative in India," Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director told reporters on Wednesday.
Multiple senators including Democrats have privately raised concerns over his professed lack of knowledge about sexual assault and harassment allegations against a top adviser.
"We are continuing to engage with senators and working to earn bipartisan support for his nomination and believe he( Garcetti) should receive a vote in the Senate expeditiously," noted Bedingfield.
Garcetti appeared at his original hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in December, along with the nominees to serve as the ambassadors to Germany and Pakistan.
The committee advanced the nominations in January. But while the full Senate then confirmed the ambassadors to Germany and Pakistan in February and March, respectively, Garcetti's nomination has not received a vote.
Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Joni Ernst have placed a "hold" on Garcetti, indicating that they would not allow the Senate to move quickly on confirming his nomination. Grassley's office is investigating allegations that the mayor ignored sexual harassment in his office. Grassley has said in a statement that whistleblowers have spoken with his office and are presenting new allegations.
Senate Democrats can confirm Garcetti without Republican votes, provided they have the support of all 50 Democratic senators as well as Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote. But the concerns of Democratic senators create complications for his path forward, forcing the White House to find Republican senators who could put the nomination over the top.
Garcetti has always denied knowing about any alleged harassment by his former advisor. A Los Angeles Police Department officer who worked on the mayor's security detail sued the city in 2020, alleging that Garcetti's longtime advisor harassed him and that the mayor witnessed the behaviour but failed to intervene.
Garcetti has repeatedly denied the allegations that he ignored the alleged harassment. His office released a statement previously, saying, "As the Mayor has said repeatedly and under oath, he absolutely did not witness and was not aware of any sexual harassment ... and if he were, he would have put a stop to it. These claims were false the first time they were alleged more than a year ago, and they're just as false today."
( With inputs from ANI )
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