Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, this week released a report on Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who was nominated to be U.S. ambassador to India, saying Garcetti “likely knew, or should have known” about the sexual allegations against his longtime adviser, Rick Jacobs.
The report, released Tuesday, concluded that Garcetti “likely knew or should have known that Rick Jacobs was sexually harassing multiple individuals and making racist comments towards others.”
It adds: "Mr. Jacobs' behavior was rampant, widespread, and notorious. Several individuals who did not even work in or for City Hall told investigators that it was well known that Mr. Jacobs would sexually harass men and women alike. By all accounts, Mayor Garcetti was very involved in the day-to-day operation of the office, so it is difficult to imagine that he would not have known or heard others commenting about Mr. Jacobs' behavior."
Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, commissioned the report in March after receiving a letter detailing “numerous credible allegations from multiple whistleblowers alleging that Mr. Garcetti, while mayor of Los Angeles, had knowledge of sexual harassment and assaults allegedly committed against multiple city employees and their associates by his close adviser, and that he ignored the misconduct.”
President Joe Biden in July nominated Garcetti to be ambassador to India. Garcetti's nomination has been on hold since Grassley ordered the report, though that hold will be lifted, according to the senator.
A Los Angeles police officer, who formerly served as a bodyguard to Garcetti, sued the mayor and the city accusing Jacobs of making “crude sexual remarks” and “inappropriate touching.” Garcetti’s former communications director also claimed in a deposition that Jacobs sexually harassed her with “unwanted hugs, kisses [and] sexual comments” during her time in city hall.
Following the release of the report, Garcetti told CNN in a statement: "While I strongly disagree with the opinion reached in this report, I am pleased that Sen. Grassley has lifted his hold, and hope that my nomination by the president can be considered by the Senate soon."
The White House dismissed the report as “partisan” and “a hit job” in a statement.
"This partisan report was a hit job from the beginning, and many of the claims have already been conclusively debunked by more serious independent reports," said White House spokesperson Chris Meagher. "It repackages allegations already addressed under oath and does not interview key participants."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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