US President Joe Biden renominates Eric Garcetti as envoy to India

US President Joe Biden on January 3, renominated former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as his envoy to India, with the White House expressing confidence that he would be confirmed by the United States Senate this time.

"The White House has nominated Eric M. Garcetti of California to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of India," the White House said after submitting the nomination to the Senate.

Garcetti's nomination to be the United States' ambassador to India was announced in July 2021, but Senate confirmation was delayed after some senators expressed concerns about allegations that he ignored sexual harassment and bullying charges against one of his former political aides. 

The White House announced his nomination in January, and in November, Jean-Pierre reaffirmed the Biden administration's commitment to completing Garcetti's nomination as US ambassador to India.

According to a media statement, the White House will begin renominating candidates who were not confirmed in the previous Congress today. 

"As Secretary (of State, Tony) Blinken said very recently, our relationship with India is crucial and it's consequential," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference,

"Confirmation of Mayor Garcetti, who was voted out of committee unanimously and with strong bipartisan support to serve as ambassador to India. That's important when we're talking about bipartisanship and how we're going to move forward. And this is what you saw with his nomination," she explained.

"So, we see this as he is well qualified, Mayor Garcetti, to serve in this vital role, and we're hopeful that the full Senate will confirm him promptly. "Once again, he was unanimously voted out of committee with strong bipartisan support," Jean-Pierre said.

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