The Senate confirmed former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) as President Joe Biden’s U.S. ambassador to India after seven Republicans voted with most Democrats on Wednesday to move the vote.
The ultimate vote rely was 52 to 42 with six absences.
Garcetti’s destiny within the narrowly divided Senate had been unsure heading into Wednesday as Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA), Diane Feinstein (D-CA), and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had been anticipated to overlook the vote for well being causes and different swing voters from each events had seemed to be on the fence.
Republicans who voted for Garcetti:
- Sen. Invoice Hagerty (TN)
- Sen. Todd Younger (IN)
- Sen. Roger Marshall (KS)
- Sen. Susan Collins (ME)
- Sen. Steve Daines (MT)
- Sen. Invoice Cassidy (LA)
- Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC)
Democrats who voted in opposition to him:
- Sen. Mark Kelly (AZ)
- Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH)
- Sen. Mazie Hirono (HI)
Garcetti, who served as L.A. mayor for 9 years till 2022, was first nominated by Biden to function ambassador to India in July 2021, however the vote was tabled amid sexual harassment claims made in opposition to prime Garcetti aide Rick Jacobs, as detailed within the Los Angeles Occasions.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) issued a report final yr that discovered it was “more likely than not that Mayor Garcetti either had personal knowledge of the sexual harassment or should have been aware of it.”
Jacobs has denied any wrongdoing, Garcetti has denied any data of any wrongdoing, and the White Home has stood by the previous mayor. Biden renominated Garcetti on January 3, the primary day of the 118th Congress.
White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated on the time that Garcetti was “well-qualified” for the “vital role” and that the White Home was “hopeful that the Senate [would] confirm him promptly.”
Previous to Garcetti’s affirmation Wednesday, the position of U.S. ambassador to India had been open for greater than two years, and Republicans voting in favor of Garcetti largely indicated they had been keen to miss his perceived downsides to fill a job crucial to the US’ response to threats from China.
Hagerty, who usually votes with Republicans however voted for Garcetti, beforehand served as U.S. ambassador to Japan, a rustic that has been an equally vital accomplice as India to the U.S. — all three international locations together with Australia are members of the “Quad” alliance — by way of addressing competitors from China.
“This is a national security imperative,” Younger, one other Republican who crossed the aisle to assist Garcetti, told CNN. “We’ve got to steadiness considerations individuals may need in regards to the nominee in opposition to the actual threat of ready one other yr till we now have an envoy on the bottom.
Garcetti grew to become a significant ally for Senate Democrats in 2018, elevating greater than $1 million at a single fundraising occasion with Hollywood figures in California to assist Senate candidates within the election that yr.
Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-NY) stated in a noticeably transient assertion after Garcetti’s affirmation, “The United States-India relationship is extremely important and it’s a very good thing we now have an Ambassador.”
Write to Ashley Oliver at [email protected] Comply with her on Twitter at @asholiver.
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