"We see this as important nomination": White House Press Secy comments on Eric Garcetti

Washington [US], January 4 (ANI): The relationship of the US with India is crucial and consequential which is why we see the nomination of Eric Garcetti to serve as Ambassador to India as a very important one, the United States White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.

Speaking on the US President Joe Biden's Tuesday re-nomination of Eric Garcetti, Pierre said, "So look, as Secretary Blinken said, very recently, our relationship with India is crucial and it's consequential. So we see this as a very important nomination and as Ben, as you know, been reported, will continue to seek the confirmation of mayor Garcetti, who has been voted out of committee unanimously and with strong bipartisan support, to serve as Ambassador to India."

Notably, Garcetti was nominated as US envoy to India earlier as well, however, the Senate rejected the proposal, but now as he has been re-nominated, WH Press Secretary reiterated that the Democrats will continue to seek the confirmation of Mayor Eric Garcetti, who was unanimously and bipartisanly voted out of committee, to serve as Ambassador to India.

Last year, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmed the nomination of Garcetti to be the US Ambassador to India. However, the nomination needed to be confirmed by a majority of the US Senate.

Jean-Pierre also called the nomination of the Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti as well-qualified and meritorious to serve in the role.

"So we see this as he is well qualified, meritorious to serve in this vital role, and we're hopeful that the full Senate will confirm him properly. Again, he was voted out of committee and unanimously with strong bipartisan support,” the White House Press Secretary said in a statement.

Garcetti was nominated as an ambassador to India, the White House said after sending the nomination to the Senate. In the statement, the White House said, "Eric M Garcetti, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of India."

For more than a year, Garcetti's nomination to be US ambassador to India - announced in July 2021 - is still in limbo. His nomination has been held up for months because of concerns among senators on both sides about allegations that he ignored alleged sexual harassment and bullying by one of his former senior political aides. Garcetti has repeatedly denied that he ignored those allegations, according to CNN.

Finally, in January last year, Garcetti's nomination was announced.

Pierre reaffirmed the Biden administration's commitment to completing the nomination of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as US Ambassador to India in November.

Answering a question whether the White House will push the US Senate to finally get a vote on Garcetti's nomination, Jean-Pierre said, "Absolutely. India is a very important relationship that we have. You -- you saw the President greet and meet very briefly with Prime Minister Modi just last week when he was -- in Bali. It's an important relationship that -- that we truly respect."

"As for Mayor Garcetti, we are committed to getting him through the process. We are continuing -- to talk to the Senate about making that happen. That is a priority of ours. And I just don't have anything further to share on any strategy or anything else moving forward on that," the White House Press Secretary added.

The United States continues to seek the expeditious confirmation of the Los Angeles Mayor, as the ambassador to India, following a long delay in the confirmation of his nomination.

Garcetti's nomination was cast in doubt after a Senate report revealed that Garcetti had ignored a pattern of sexual harassment allegedly perpetrated by one of his top aides. (ANI)