LOS ANGELES — While headlines scream his nomination to become the next U.S. ambassador to India is in peril, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is all smiles at local events, confident with continued support from the White House that the Senate will confirm him soon.

“We’ve had such great conversations, the backing of the White House, a unanimous vote out of committee, and I’m excited and feel a sense of urgency seeing the images out of Ukraine, that we need an ambassador in India now,” Garcetti said Thursday.

Garcetti’s nomination has stalled amid allegations that his former top aide Rick Jacobs sexually harassed staff members under his watch. Many of the allegations stem from a lawsuit brought against the city by officer Matthew Garza, a member of Garcetti’s security detail that alleges Jacobs touched him inappropriately, made sexual comments and harassed him while traveling on official trips.

Separately, Garcetti’s former director of communications, Naomi Seligman, claims Jacobs forcibly kissed her and that Garcetti’s silence enabled Jacobs for years.

“We again and again and again saw him doing it: kissing people on the lips, grabbing people from behind, making inappropriate comments in front of the mayor,” Seligman said.

Jacobs has called the allegations “pure fiction,” and Garcetti maintains he was cleared by an independent investigation into Garza’s allegations that included more than a dozen witnesses.

Spectrum News obtained a copy of the confidential report by Ellis Investigations dated April 8, 2021, that included an interview with Jacobs, which found that Garza lacked credibility.

“Mr. Jacobs never forcibly kissed anyone, either at work or at social events,” the report by Leslie Ellis stated. “However, Mr. Jacobs sometimes kissed others in greeting at social events, but the kissing was mutual. In Mr. Jacob’s experience growing up and as a gay man, kissing on the mouth was a common way to greet others.”

Several key whistleblowers, including Seligman, declined to talk to investigators for the report. Seligman said when Jacobs kissed her in front of other staffers, it was not mutual — it was humiliating.

In October 2020, junior staffer Anna Bahr texted her supervisors Jacobs “abused and harassed” her with “kisses,” “squeezes” and “crass sexual statements.”

“While I was never sexually harassed by Rick Jacobs, I knew people who were, and I found him to be an abusive boss,” Bahr told Spectrum News in an email when asked to confirm the text messages. “I was aware of his reputation and discussed it with my immediate superiors in the Communications Department — who described him as a liability, but did nothing. City Hall could be a toxic and, at times, abusive work environment — especially for a 22-year-old junior staffer like myself. I plan to testify to this if and when my deposition is scheduled.”

Bahr was not interviewed by investigators for the Ellis report.

Whistleblower Aid, a nonpartisan, nonprofit that supports individuals disclosing official misconduct, represents Seligman.

“The people who continue to support Garcetti’s account are all working directly for him or otherwise have a strong interest to remain in his good graces,” said John Tye, the Whistleblower Aid lawyer representing Seligman.

In a brief interview last week, Garcetti falsely claimed to Spectrum News the Ellis report included sworn testimony that Seligman’s claims are uncorroborated. 

“The independent report is crystal clear,” Garcetti said. “People under oath have been clear, and everybody who’s worked under (Seligman) have been clear, that allegation did not happen.”

An aide quickly ended the interview, and Garcetti went back to taking questions about city business and posing for photos.

Garcetti’s current chief of communications later told the Los Angeles Times he “unintentionally blended numbers” when speaking to Spectrum News.