Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Influential US Senator Grassley opposes Garcetti's nomination as envoy to India

“I’m compelled to vote against Garcetti due to the serious allegations about sexual harassment and racism running rampant in the Los Angeles Mayor’s office,â€� said Grassley.

Influential US Senator Grassley opposes Garcetti's nomination as envoy to India

Influential American Senator Chuck Grassley has opposed the nomination of Eric Garcetti as the US envoy to India because of "serious allegations" of sexual harassment by one of his staffers and urged his senatorial colleagues to do the same.

Grassley’s remarks on the Senate floor on Tuesday come amidst the White House intensifying its efforts to have Garcetti confirmed as the US Ambassador to India, a strategic position that has remained vacant for nearly two years now.


With India being the current chair of G-20 resulting in a lot of diplomatic activities between the two countries, the Biden administration wants to have its envoy in New Delhi as soon as possible.

Garcetti, who served as the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles from July 2013 until December 2022, is a close aide of President Joe Biden.

“I would like to express my strong opposition to the nomination of Eric Garcetti to be ambassador to India. I'm compelled to vote against Garcetti due to the serious allegations about sexual harassment and racism to run rampant in the Los Angeles Mayor's office,” said Grassley, who is serving as the president pro tempore emeritus of the US Senate.

President pro tempore emeritus is the second-highest-ranking official of the Senate, after the vice president.

Grassley told his senatorial colleagues that several credible whistleblowers approached his office about concerning allegations that Garcetti was aware of and enabled his deputy chief of staff, Rick Jacobs, to sexually harass several employees within the Mayor's office.

“These men and women allege that Rick Jacobs engaged in inappropriate physical conduct (with several employees) without their consent. They allege that Jacobs made crude sexual remarks and gestures toward staff and others. They allege that he made blatantly racist remarks towards Asians and other minorities. These allegations have also been publicly reported in The Los Angeles Times,” said the Republican Senator from Iowa.

Grassley alleged that the Biden administration, by supporting Garcetti, 51, is sending a message to the victims of sexual harassment in the workplace that they are only to be believed when politically convenient.

“As a result, the Biden, administration and all those who support this nomination have no credibility when it comes to protecting victims of sexual harassment,” he said.

Grassley said he and his colleagues have a duty to take such concerning allegations and take it very seriously whether here in the US or abroad.

“There is no place for sexual misconduct or racism. Mayor Garcetti had countless opportunities over the years to stand up for victims by removing his chief deputy chief of staff, which he failed to do. These fundamental failures by Garcetti are incompatible with the office that he seeks,” he said.

“Therefore, I cannot in good conscience vote for him. I strongly encourage my colleagues to review all the evidence found in my investigative report as well as what’s reported in the press. The facts and the evidence compel me to vote no, and I hope my colleagues will join me in doing the same,” Grassley said.

(PTI)

More For You

Piyush Goyal

Piyush Goyal recalled that in February, Narendra Modi and Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Trade talks with US moving forward positively, says Indian minister Goyal

INDIA’s commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that negotiations on the proposed trade agreement between India and the United States, which began in March, are progressing in a positive atmosphere and both sides are satisfied with the discussions.

He recalled that in February, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump had instructed their trade ministers to conclude the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement (BTA) by November 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
West Midlands Police

West Midlands Police said they were called just before 08:30 BST on Tuesday, September 9, after the woman reported being attacked by two men near Tame Road. (Representational image: iStock)

Woman raped in racially aggravated attack in Oldbury

A WOMAN in her 20s was raped in Oldbury in what police are treating as a racially aggravated attack.

West Midlands Police said they were called just before 08:30 BST on Tuesday, September 9, after the woman reported being attacked by two men near Tame Road. Officers said the men made a racist remark during the incident.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tommy Robinson

The event, which Robinson has promoted for months, is being billed by him as the 'UK's biggest free speech festival.' (Photo: Getty Images)

London prepares for rival demonstrations, police deploy 1,600 officers

Highlights

  • More than 1,600 officers deployed across London on Saturday
  • Far-right activist Tommy Robinson to lead "Unite the Kingdom" march
  • Anti-racism groups to stage counter-protests in Whitehall
  • Police impose conditions on routes and timings of demonstrations

LONDON police will deploy more than 1,600 officers across the city on Saturday as rival demonstrations take place, including a rally organised by far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, and a counter-protest by anti-racism campaigners.

Keep ReadingShow less
Baiju Bhatt

At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. (Photo: Getty Images)

Baiju Bhatt named among youngest billionaires in US by Forbes

INDIAN-AMERICAN entrepreneur Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of the commission-free trading platform Robinhood, has been named among the 10 youngest billionaires in the United States in the 2025 Forbes 400 list.

At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Forbes estimates his net worth at around USD 6–7 billion (£4.4–5.1 billion), primarily from his roughly 6 per cent ownership in Robinhood.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mandelson-Getty

Starmer dismissed Mandelson on Thursday after reading emails published by Bloomberg in which Mandelson defended Jeffrey Epstein following his 2008 conviction. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Minister says Mandelson should never have been appointed

A CABINET minister has said Peter Mandelson should not have been made UK ambassador to the US, as criticism mounted over prime minister Keir Starmer’s judgment in appointing him.

Douglas Alexander, the Scotland secretary, told the BBC that Mandelson’s appointment was seen as “high-risk, high-reward” but that newly revealed emails changed the situation.

Keep ReadingShow less