Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti — whose nomination as U.S. ambassador to India has faced months of delay — said there’s a pressing need to fill the role since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“This is an urgent national security moment,” Garcetti said Friday in an interview at L.A.’s City Hall. “And I think our country deeply feels that right now — and the importance of having someone on the ground in India.”
Garcetti, who served as co-chair on Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign, has been awaiting congressional approval since he was announced as the president’s choice in July. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has advanced his nomination, which now must go to a full vote in the chamber.
Two Republican senators may try to hold up his confirmation over concerns about his alleged handling of harassment claims against a top staffer. Los Angeles police officer Matthew Garza, a former bodyguard to Garcetti, has sued Rick Jacobs — a former top aide to the mayor — for alleged sexual harassment.
Garcetti, 51, has strongly denied accusations that he was aware of the behavior. An investigation commissioned by the city cleared him of any wrongdoing.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said this month that he couldn’t vote to confirm Garcetti until he does his own investigation after hearing from whistle-blowers. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, this week joined Grassley’s call.
“I’m not surprised by anything in politics,” Garcetti said. “It’s a political process so I understand that there’s politics.”
If confirmed, Garcetti will be heading to a country where he’ll manage U.S. ties with the world’s biggest buyer of Russian weapons. India, along with China, has taken a position calling for peace while abstaining from a vote on a United Nations draft resolution for Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw forces from Ukraine.
India is also eager to take more Russian crude at bargain prices as buyers from the U.S. to Europe shun its oil. Latest data show India’s bilateral trade with Russia stood at $10.8 billion.
Garcetti declined to say what he’d discuss with the Indian government, because he’s been advised to avoid commenting before his confirmation. But he said he’d generally pursue U.S. interests without issuing ultimatums.
“Part of the job of a diplomat is to honestly and transparently reflect the interests of your country, but also make clear why that’s in the mutual interest of the country where you’re stationed,” Garcetti said. “To me, it’s not about hard conversations. It’s about ongoing relationships and ongoing communications.”
Garcetti, who has been in office since 2013, cannot run again due to term limits. Democratic Rep. Karen Bass and billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso are among the candidates vying for the top job in America’s second-largest city. The primary in the race for L.A. mayor is June 7, and the general election is Nov. 8.
