Senator Chuck Grassley (Iowa) launched an investigation by his staff on Tuesday, which concluded that Eric Garsetti, the mayor of Los Angeles and presidential candidate Biden for ambassador to India, “probably knew or should have known” about sexual harassment. and racist comments from former councilor Rick Jacobs.
Why it matters: Garsetti’s already stalled path to Senate confirmation has simply become more difficult.
Details: A note detailing the findings states that Jacobs, Garsetti and 11 other people working for or close to Garsetti refused to speak to the investigating team. It said the team interviewed 15 witnesses and benefited from 26 testimonies related to a civil lawsuit against Jacobs, as well as city reports, emails and text messages.
- “It is extremely unlikely that he did not know about Mr Jacobs ‘behavior,” the note said, citing Garsetti’s close involvement in the day-to-day operations of his office and the “comprehensive, widespread and notorious” nature of Jacobs’ behavior.
- “We had to come to conclusions based on the evidence we had,” Grassley said in a note. “If these people later want to come out and provide new evidence or testimony, we will be ready to reconsider our conclusion if the evidence supports it.
- Garsetti denied knowing about the alleged actions, telling senators at a hearing late last year that if they had been brought to him, he would have taken action.
On the other hand: “This partisan report was a hit from the beginning and many of the allegations have already been finally debunked by more serious independent reports,” a White House spokesman said.
- “The president has confidence in Mayor Garsetti and believes he will be an excellent representative in India at a critical time, and calls on the Senate to confirm it quickly.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a White House comment in support of Garsetti.
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