Although no Democrats have publicly come out against Garcetti, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is among those who have offered doubts. Earlier this month, an aide to the Arizona Democrat sent an email that said Sinema was engaged on the nomination but was concerned about it. They added that she hadn’t made her decision, according to an exchange reviewed by POLITICO.

“As she does with all nominees, Kyrsten is doing her due diligence and thoughtfully evaluating the nomination based on her three criteria: whether or not he is professionally qualified, believes in the mission of the agency, and can be trusted to faithfully execute and uphold the law,” said Hannah Hurley, Sinema’s spokesperson.

Senate Republicans also told POLITICO in recent weeks that they don’t want to proceed with Garcetti’s nomination until the completion of an independent investigation led by the office of Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who formally put a hold on the mayor’s nomination. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said she would also be placing a hold.

Senate Democrats can confirm Garcetti without Republican votes, provided they have the support of all 50 Democratic senators as well as Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote. But the concerns of Democratic senators creates complications for his path forward, forcing the White House to find Republican senators who could put the nomination over the top.

For now, the Biden administration is working to make sure it can at least keep all of the Democrats in line. A Hill liaison in the State Department explained to Senate Democratic chiefs on Friday that the whistleblower claim of sexual harassment against Garcetti’s adviser was already investigated, both by Senate Democrats before the nominee was voted out of committee and at the State Department level, according to a source in the room.

The State staffer told Senate chiefs it was not the State Department’s place to comment on the veracity, or lack thereof, of the accusation, and referenced the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s review of Garcetti, according to a State Department official. The official confirmed the Hill visit and told POLITICO that their staff regularly briefs senators and their aides on nominees and tries to answer any questions lawmakers might have.

The State Department later added that it would not conduct any such investigation in this type of nomination.

At the meeting, the State staffer reiterated Garcetti’s public comments that he had no idea about the accusations against Rick Jacobs, his longtime former top adviser. The State staffer also argued that it was imperative that Garcetti be confirmed soon to help engage India in addressing Russian aggression, according to the source in the room and a Democratic aide. An ambassador would be key to such discussions, the State staffer added.

The response from the chiefs was largely muted. A State Department official told POLITICO that they are trying to get their ambassador to India confirmed as soon as possible and that Russia’s war on Ukraine only underlines the urgency and the need for partnership with India.

The State Department’s arguments dovetail with the ones being made by Garcetti himself, including as recently as Friday when, in an interview with Bloomberg, he said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine created “an urgent national-security moment” and that there was an “importance of having someone on the ground in India.”

White House spokesperson Chris Meagher said “the president has confidence in Mayor Garcetti and believes he’ll be an excellent representative in India.”

“His nomination advanced unanimously with bipartisan support in committee,” Meagher added. “The White House and the State Department are making calls to senators and working to earn bipartisan support for his nomination. He should receive a vote in the Senate expeditiously.”

Garcetti, who has repeatedly denied he knew about Jacobs’ behavior, was recently in Washington trying to meet with senators on his nomination, another source said.

The nomination also is a test of the president’s loyalty to Garcetti. In his final year as mayor, Garcetti, 51, was an early supporter of Biden’s 2020 run and went on to serve as campaign co-chair, helping raise money and vet potential vice presidential nominees.

Garcetti appeared on track to end up in New Delhi until Grassley’s hold earlier this month, which came after whistleblowers approached the Iowa Republican. Other senators have since said they need to hear more. Since last year, former Garcetti aides, including his communications director, Naomi Seligman, have been urging Senate offices to dig further into the evidence that contradicts Garcetti’s denials.

They point to depositions given in the lawsuit of a Los Angeles Police Department officer who served on the mayor’s security detail and claims that not only did Garcetti witness Jacobs’ behavior, but that he refused to step in to stop it.

That filing from officer Matthew Garza against the city of Los Angeles in July 2020, included allegations of touching and crude and unwanted sexual comments by Jacobs. It also alleges that Garcetti laughed at Jacobs’ crude comments. The former mayoral staffers also listed a photograph of Jacobs making a provocative gesture over the genital area of another man — with Garcetti pictured among the group.

The lawsuit was amplified nationally by Yashar Ali, the freelancer and one-time political operative, who published a piece reporting his own account about how Jacobs forcibly kissed and hugged him — as well as others. The story, Ali said at the time, sparked immediate blowback.

Former Garcetti aides who testified in the Garza lawsuit confirmed to POLITICO that they have been in touch with Senate offices about the ambassador nomination.

Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everrett contributed to this report.