Sexual harassment allegations cast pall on Garcetti’s ambassadorship hearing
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Members of a congressional panel weighing Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s nomination as ambassador to India questioned him about his sexual harassment incidents. The incidents were allegedly committed against employees by his former advisor Rick Jacobs.
When Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) asked Garcetti on Dec. 14 about the allegations, he said he never witnessed behavior of that nature. A Los Angeles Police Department officer, who served for seven years as Garcetti’s bodyguard, filed a lawsuit last year accusing Jacobs of sexual harassment. The suit also alleges Garcetti knew about the misconduct but declined to intervene.
Garcetti, 50, has denied that allegation, saying, “I want to say unequivocally that I never witnessed, nor was it brought to my attention, that behavior that has been alleged.” Naomi Seligman, a former director of communications for Garcetti, said she was forcibly kissed by Jacobs and that Garcetti knew about Jacobs’ alleged behavior. Jacobs has denied the allegations.
The Dec. 14 panel meeting, which lasted under two hours, primarily focused on foreign policy questions, the Los Angeles Times reported, as well as human rights and discrimination. Several senators asked Garcetti how he would work to advance human rights in India. Garcetti played up his master’s degree in human rights and international law.
Garcetti’s father, Gil Garcetti, a former L.A. County district attorney, is of Mexican, Native American and Italian ancestry. Garcetti’s mother, Sukey Garcetti (nee Roth), is the granddaughter of Russian Jewish immigrants.
Garcetti was nominated to be ambassador to India by President Joe Biden on July 9. Garcetti studied Hindi and Indian cultural and religious history in college, the Times reported. The nomination cited Garcetti’s responsibilities overseeing the Port of Los Angeles, the Western Hemisphere’s busiest; the L.A. Department of Water and Power, the country’s biggest utility; and Los Angeles International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the country.
