Republican Senator wants to put on hold the nomination of Eric Garcetti as ambassador to India

In a development that could be good for India, Republican Senator Charles Grassley has asked Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to delay the nomination of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti who was nominated by President Joe Biden to become US ambassador to India.

According to toe Grassley, the nomination of Garcetti, a close ally of Biden should be put on hold pending investigation regarding sexual harassment of his adviser.

“The United States owes it to the Republic of India to send them a qualified Ambassador that will represent the values of the United States,” Grassley said in the documents sent to McConnell on Thursday to notify the Senate.

“Mayor Garcetti may very well be fully qualified, but at this time, the Senate needs to look into these allegations further,” he added.

In January, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee had confirmed the nomination of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to be the next US ambassador to India. However, such an important nomination has to be approved by a majority of the US Senate.

Eric Garcetti is a close confidant of Joe Biden and supported him during this campaign during the presidential election and this move is a reward for his support. But many think Garcetti does not have the experience to hold such an important position because of the complex geopolitical situation and the future of American security in the region.

Also, if Eric Garcetti’s nomination fails, it will be a good thing because he has made a series of statements that have not gone well in India and he has absolutely no international experience. 

In his opening statement during his hearing for his nomination in the Senate, Garcetti said, “If confirmed, I intend to double-down on our efforts to strengthen India’s capacity to secure its borders, defend its sovereignty, and deter aggression – through information sharing, counterterrorism coordination, joint freedom of navigation patrols and military exercises (which I have participated in as a naval officer alongside my Indian counterparts), and sales of our best defence technologies in order to realise the full potential of our Major Defence Partnership,”.

But he also said human rights, including in the context of the Citizenship Amendment Act, will be a “core” part of his work in India.

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