Remember when President Biden got called out by his own side for a lack of AAPI representation in his cabinet? We do:
Sen. Tammy Duckworth says the lack of Asian American or Pacific Islander representation in President Joe Biden’s cabinet is “not acceptable” and is threatening to withhold her vote on key nominations until the administration addresses the matter. https://t.co/DgRVo9dhcH
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) March 25, 2021
Anyway, things must be okay now because Axios is reporting that the president is getting ready to name three white males to ambassadorships in India, Japan and China.
First up, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will reportedly be named ambassador to India. Has he ever even been to India?
NEW: Biden is ready to nominate LA Mayor Eric Garcetti as his ambassador to India, sending a trusted political ally to the world's biggest democracy, people familiar with the matter tell Axios. https://t.co/g5RpZ4w5Ia
— Axios (@axios) May 26, 2021
There were no qualified, you know, Indians?
1. Last I checked…Garcetti isn't an Indian name. Maybe Biden couldn't find any worthy Indians… 😎
2. Last I checked…Garcetti is reported to have witnessed his top aide sexually harass/assault others. Apparently, Dems don't care about such things anymore. https://t.co/FK1XboG1jU
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) May 26, 2021
Garcetti has other problems, too:
Biden is nominating a man who witnessed his top aide sexually harass/assault others & didn't hold him accountable
Since this history of predation was revealed publicly, Garcetti has repeatedly lied about ithttps://t.co/8scipQ0eAthttps://t.co/x7A8C7lYwqhttps://t.co/zrgxE9xeYq https://t.co/kXUna9fSQm
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 26, 2021
On the other hand, Biden doesn’t have the best track record when speaking to Indian-Americans. Maybe his staff was afraid of what he might say to a nominee of Indian heritage?
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From 2006, “I’ve had a great relationship. In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking”:
And Axios is reporting that Rahm Emanuel will head to Japan:
• Julie Smith will likely serve as ambassador to NATO
• Cindy McCain is expected to be the ambassador to the World Food Program in Rome
🇯🇵 Rahm Emanuel will be heading to Japan https://t.co/g5RpZ4euQC— Axios (@axios) May 26, 2021
Nick Burns, U.S. Ambassador to NATO under George W. Bush and U.S. Ambassador to Greece under Bill Clinton, will “likely” be named as ambassador to China (at least he has actual diplomatic experience):
🇨🇳 Career diplomat Nick Burns is Biden's likely choice for China
🇫🇷 Denise Bauer, a prominent fundraiser, is scheduled for France.
🇧🇪 Big-dollar donor Michael Adler is slated for Belgium
🇨🇦 Former Comcast lobbyist David Cohen should be heading to Canada https://t.co/g5RpZ4euQC— Axios (@axios) May 26, 2021
Now, we really don’t care that much about any of this. . .
Biden is planning to name his first slate of political ambassadors as soon as next week, rewarding political allies like Garcetti, as well as big-dollar donors in elegant European cities 👇https://t.co/g5RpZ4euQC
— Axios (@axios) May 26, 2021
. . .but we were told how bad this was when then-President Trump did it:
Trump handed ambassadorships for Italy and Japan to campaign donors, both private equity execs, one ex-Goldman Sachs https://t.co/WeKXOH1nSz
— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) January 24, 2017
Who’s got dibs on France? Trump friends and donors jockey for ambassadorships. https://t.co/Ab7Qs4hjXg
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 15, 2017
You see, Trump was different somehow:
Rewarding political supporters with ambassadorships they aren’t qualified for is a bipartisan tradition dating back centuries.
But Trump has elevated the practice to new heights. https://t.co/6GG18cfKti
— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) November 14, 2019
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