What did Garcetti know about aide's alleged sexual harassment? Here's what we know - Los Angeles Times
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What did Garcetti know about aide’s alleged sexual harassment? Here’s what we know

A man speaks in front of two microphones.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti gives his annual State of the City speech on April 19, 2020.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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For months now, Eric Garcetti’s nomination to be ambassador to India has been stalled by allegations involved his onetime top aide.

THE BACKGROUND: It began nearly two years ago, when a lawsuit filed by a member of Garcetti’s LAPD security detail alleged that mayoral advisor Rick Jacobs meted out unwanted hugs, massages and crude sex banter. More allegations against Jacobs trickled out via news accounts, then in leaked deposition testimony in Officer Matthew Garza’s lawsuit against the city. Others have since come forward to make accusations against Jacobs.

THE SENATE: Garcetti has insisted he didn’t know about Jacobs’ alleged behavior until the lawsuit was filed and said so under oath before the Senate. A vote on his nomination has been on hold as some senators did deeper examinations of the case. The mayor needs a majority of senators to confirm his nomination to become U.S. ambassador to India.

THE LATEST: The 23-page report released Tuesday by Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) found it “extremely unlikely” that Garcetti was unaware of the aide’s alleged inappropriate behavior. The White House issued a strongly worded statement Tuesday afternoon dismissing the investigation as biased and incomplete and saying Biden stands firmly behind Garcetti. “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,” the statement read.

Read our full coverage of the allegations.

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