On Wednesday, Eric Garcetti was confirmed as the United States Ambassador to India with a 52-42 vote in the Senate. Despite a sexual misconduct scandal involving one of Garcetti's top advisers, seven Republican senators voted to confirm the former Los Angeles Mayor. These included sens. Bill Cassidy (La. ), Susan Collins (Maine ), Steve Daines (Mont. ), Lindsey Graham (S.C. ), Bill Hagerty (Tenn. ), Roger Marshall (Kan. ) and Todd Young (Ind. ). Sens. democratic Sens. Mark Kelly (Arizona), Sherrod Brown (Ohio) and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) voted against his confirmation. I
Garcetti’s nomination was held up because of allegations against Rick Jacobs, his former right-hand man, of sexual assault, harassment, and making racist remarks. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) strongly opposed Garcetti's confirmation, citing that he had "enabled sexual harassment and racism to run rampant in the Los Angeles Mayor's office". Despite this, the White House expressed a "confidence" in Garcetti. I
Garcetti was initially picked for the New Delhi Ambassadorship in July 2021 after serving as co-chair of Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. He served as LA Mayor from 2013 to 2022 and was replaced by former US Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif. ) in January. The Los Angeles district attorney's office cleared Garcetti of any wrongdoing, but an independent investigation conducted by Grassley's office "identified over 19 individuals who have either witnessed or were victims of Jacobs' behavior."
At his December 2021 confirmation hearing, Garcetti said he had "never witnessed" the behavior, "nor was it brought to my attention." Garcetti is set to direct Washington's approach to China and will be the United States' first ambassador in India since Biden's presidency began. The White House is confident that Garcetti is "well-qualified to serve in this vital role.