Here We Go Again: Biden Renominates Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as U.S. Ambassador to India
- The question is will the Republicans relent this time to put in place an envoy in New Delhi before India takes up the presidency of the G-20 in September?
When at first you don’t succeed, rinse and repeat. That seems to be the Biden administration’s strategy to get its nomination of former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as U.S. Ambassador to India through the Senate.
On Tuesday, as the new session of Congress began, President Biden renominated Garcetti as envoy to New Delhi which has been vacant for two and half years. This was part of 85 nominations resubmitted by the administration out of about 175 that did not receive the Senate’s ok in the last session.
“I am grateful for the president’s confidence, and strong support on both sides of the aisle in the Senate. I look forward to completing this process, so that I can begin serving in India and advancing this critical partnership as quickly as possible,” the Los Angeles Times quoted Garcetti as saying.
Although the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously cleared Garcetti’s nomination, it was not given a full Senate vote, thanks largely because the Republicans ostensibly wanted to get to the bottom of the allegation that the nominee turned a blind eye to sexual harassment during his tenure as mayor of Los Angeles. The mayor’s top aide Rick Jacobs was accused of sexually assaulting women on the staff.
It is not entirely mystifying why the Republicans would continue to block the vote even after an investigation by Sen. Chuck Grassley did not find a “smoking gun,” showing that Garcetti had direct knowledge of the aide’s behavior. It’s politics.
Garcetti testified under oath multiple times, including before the U.S. Senate, that “he absolutely did not witness nor was he informed of any of the behavior being alleged.” Garcetti also left no stone unturned to get through the nomination, including hiring prominent lobbyists, McGuireWoods Consulting, reportedly financed by his parents, according to Politico.
It is not entirely mystifying why the Republicans would continue to block the vote even after an investigation by Sen. Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, did not find a “smoking gun,” according to Politico, showing that Garcetti had direct knowledge of the aide’s behavior. It’s politics. The Republicans blocked the vote because they could. Grassley was one of the two Senators that put a “hold” on the nomination pending an investigation.
It remains to be seen if the equation changes in the new session of the Senate where the Democrats have returned in better shape following the midterm elections. There are also some hopeful signs that there may be more bipartisanship in the offing. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an eyebrow-raising gesture, is scheduled to accompany President Biden on a visit to Kentucky later this week.
The Senate Republicans may also decide to be more accommodating toward the White House if only to contrast themselves from their colleagues in the House who are setting themselves up to take their obstructionist politics to new heights even with their narrow majority.
The other consideration that might propel the Republicans to relent this time is the importance of having a U.S. ambassador in New Delhi in time to prepare for the G-20 summit in September when India takes over its presidency. With a host of geopolitical issues coming to a head, including the war in Ukraine, growing tensions with China in Indo-Pacific, and the global supply chain issues, strengthening the U.S.-India partnership can be hardly jettisoned in favor of partisan politics.