Eric Garcetti Ambassadorship Hits Snag As U.S. Senator Launches Investigation Into Harassment Allegations In opposition to Mayor’s Marketing consultant

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s trail to turning into the following U.S. ambassador to India hit a possible snag Thursday when a senior senator stated he desires Garcetti’s affirmation vote behind schedule pending an investigation into whether or not the mayor knew about and unnoticed sexual harassment and attack allegations made in opposition to his former senior guide.

In a letter made to be had to Politico, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) informed Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), “I will be able to object (to Garcetti’s nomination) as a result of I’ve won a lot of credible allegations from more than one whistleblowers alleging that Mr. Garcetti, whilst mayor of Los Angeles, had wisdom of sexual harassment and attacks allegedly dedicated in opposition to more than one town staff and their pals by way of his shut guide, and that he unnoticed the misconduct.”

Investigators in Grassley’s place of business are reportedly carrying out their very own investigation into the allegations and asked the nomination be placed on dangle till their procedure is entire.

Grassley persisted, “America owes it to the Republic of India to ship them a professional Ambassador that may constitute the values of the USA. Mayor Garcetti could possibly be totally certified, however right now, the Senate wishes to take a look at those allegations additional.”

Grassley additionally stated his place of business had spoken with individuals who “have now not up to now spoken to the Overseas Family members Committee, and are presenting new allegations that will have to be totally investigated.”

In keeping with Politico, Democrats can ascertain Garcetti with out GOP reinforce, however they are going to want all 50 in their participants in attendance in addition to Vice President Kamala Harris’ vote to damage a 50-50 tie.

The Place of job of the Mayor driven again on Grassley’s allegations.

“Repeating a malicious falsehood won’t ever flip a lie into the reality,” it stated in a commentary to Closing date. “The Mayor has testified beneath oath more than one occasions, together with sooner than the U.S. Senate, and stands by way of his testimony unequivocally: he completely didn’t witness nor used to be he knowledgeable of any of the habits being alleged. The Mayor has spent the easier a part of his existence advocating aggressively in this factor, and had he been conscious about this sort of habits, he completely would have acted to forestall it.”

In February, the nonprofit legislation company Whistleblower Support filed a criticism on behalf of Garcetti’s former communications director accusing the mayor of perjury whilst he used to be wondered right through his nomination listening to sooner than the U.S. Senate Overseas Family members Committee concerning the sexual harassment allegations in opposition to his former guide, Rick Jacobs.

Jacobs used to be accused of incorrect habits in a 2020 lawsuit filed by way of Los Angeles Police Division Officer Matthew Garza, who claims Garcetti witnessed the habits however grew to become a blind eye to it.

Garcetti has denied the allegations previously — and did so once more right through his listening to, telling the Senate panel he has a zero-tolerance coverage for sexual harassment.

The mayor has claimed he didn’t learn about Garza’s accusations till the lawsuit was public in July 2020.

The White Area stood by way of Garcetti — who used to be a co-chair of Joe Biden’s 2020 marketing campaign — in a commentary to Politico, pronouncing that the mayor “has been transparent that he is taking any allegations of harassment very severely and has made transparent this sort of misconduct is unacceptable in his place of business in any shape…the president has self belief in Mayor Garcetti and believes he’ll be a very good consultant in India.”

The whistleblower criticism, filed on February 2, alleges that Garcetti dedicated legal perjury on February 8, 2021, right through his deposition as a part of the lawsuit, and on December14, 2021, when he informed the Senate committee beneath oath that he “by no means witnessed nor used to be it dropped at my consideration the habits that’s being alleged.”

The committee in January complicated the nomination, which must be showed by way of a majority of the U.S. Senate.

Whistleblower Support filed the criticism on behalf of Naomi Seligman, a former director of communications for Garcetti who says she used to be forcibly kissed by way of Jacobs and that Garcetti knew about Jacobs’ alleged development of harassment.

The criticism features a up to now reported upon picture of Garcetti and Jacobs from 2017, through which Jacobs’ hand is in entrance of every other guy’s genital house. Within the picture, the mayor is giving a double thumbs as much as the digicam.

“An image is value one thousand phrases,” the criticism alleges. Garcetti, the letter notes, denies having observed the position of Jacobs’ hand when the picture used to be snapped.

Seligman claims Jacobs sexually assaulted her in Town Corridor in April 2016 when he allegedly “forcefully grabbed her decrease again, pinned her hands down, pressed himself in opposition to her, and held and kissed her for a longer period of time,” consistent with the criticism.

The file contends that Seligman notified the mayor’s former leader of workforce Ana Guerrero, who the criticism stated “didn’t act stunned” and allegedly stated that “no proceedings can be tolerated as a result of Mr. Jacobs used to be essential to the mayor.”

In keeping with the criticism, in July 2016 the mayor emailed his workforce from a private account that Jacobs can be taking a go away of absence to paintings on civic and political issues, however that Jacobs “remains to be a pricey buddy, and one in every of (his) maximum relied on advisers.”

The criticism notes a number of allegations in opposition to Jacobs, together with one in 2017 through which the mayor used to be allegedly provide. In keeping with Seligman, the mayor’s then-chief suggest Julie Ciardullo used to be in an elevator with Jacobs and Garcetti when “Jacobs blocked her right into a nook and began pushing into her, backward and forward, and he or she used to be asking, begging Jacobs to forestall, and simply saved pushing into her, pushing into her, and after all, the mayor needed to interfere and inform him to get off of her.”

That allegation used to be first reported in June 2021, when the Los Angeles Occasions acquired Ciardullo’s deposition, which contains the allegation.

Town Information Provider contributed to this record.