Biden has confidence Mayor Garcetti will be excellent representative to India: White House

Washington: US President Joe Biden has confidence in Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and believes that he will be an excellent representative of the country in India, the White House said Wednesday.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki exuded confidence that the Senate would soon confirm his nomination as the US Ambassador to India, which has been put on hold by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley.

"He (Grassley) can't actually prevent a vote from moving forward on the floor. I mean, he can convey his opposition, as is the right of any Senator. But Mayor Garcetti is out of committee, and we're hoping to see a vote on the Senate floor soon," she told reporters at her daily news conference.

"The President has confidence in Mayor Garcetti and believes he'll be an excellent representative in India, she said in response to a question.

"It is critical, of course, that we have confirmed leadership at all of our embassies, including India, and we urge the Senate to confirm him as quickly as possible," Psaki said.

In a notice to the Senate on March 10, Grassley said he intends to object Garcetti's nomination to be Ambassador to India.

"I will object because I have received numerous credible allegations from multiple whistleblowers alleging that Mr. Garcetti, while mayor of Los Angeles, had knowledge of sexual harassment and assaults allegedly committed against



multiple city employees and their associates by his close adviser and that he ignored the misconduct," Grassley said.

"The allegations involving the mayor's office have been the subject of public reporting and a purportedly independent investigation. However, serious questions remain regarding the alleged misconduct, as well as the mayor's knowledge of that misconduct," he said.

"First, whistleblowers who have spoken with my office have not previously spoken to the Foreign Relations Committee and are presenting new allegations that must be fully investigated. Second, the investigation of the Los Angeles mayor's office reportedly found no wrongdoing by the mayor or his staff," said the Republican Senator from Iowa.

However, information provided by multiple whistleblowers strongly suggests that this investigation was incomplete at best. The extent to which the investigation was truly independent is also not clear, and the report has not been made public, he said.

"The United States owes it to the Republic of India to send them a qualified Ambassador that will represent the values of the United States. Mayor Garcetti may very well be fully qualified, but at this time, the Senate needs to look into these allegations further," Grassley said.

However, the White House on Wednesday exuded confidence that Garcetti would soon be confirmed by the US Senate.