Washington: US President Joe Biden has once again nominated Eric Garcetti as the next ambassador to India. The White House has expressed confidence that this time his name will be confirmed by the US Senate. Garcetti is considered close to US President Joe Biden. He has been the Mayor of Los Angeles since 2013. After sending his name to the Senate, the White House said in a statement, “Eric M. Garcetti of California can be the US Ambassador to India.”
The White House has begun an exercise to renominate those whose names were not confirmed by the Senate in the previous Congress. “As Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said, our relationship with India is important…,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at her daily press conference. He said that while Mayor Garcetti’s name was not approved earlier, he has the support of both parties.
Confirmation of Garcetti’s name suspended
‘He is fully qualified to serve in this important position,’ Jean-Pierre said. Mayor Garcetti and we expect the Senate to confirm his name immediately. Earlier, the US President had nominated Garcetti as the next Ambassador to India in July 2021. Confirmation of Garcetti’s name was withheld during an internal investigation. An employee of Garcetti’s office has been accused of “serious allegations” of sexual harassment.
Investigators in Congressman Chuck Grassley’s office looked into what Garcetti knew about political consultant Rick Jacobs’ inappropriate behavior toward women and men in and around City Hall. The post of US Ambassador to India has been vacant for almost two years. There has been a lot of criticism of America regarding this.