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Tribal recognitions need review
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 7, 2001 A Clinton administration official's last-minute boost to Indian gambling looks sleazy on several fronts, and the Bush administration was right to order a review. The actions reek of greed and, if not reversed, would make it harder for communities and law enforcement to control the damage caused by casino gambling. Two Clinton officials, in their last days in office, reversed the findings of historians at the Interior Department and bestowed official recognition on three tribes -- the first step for them to enter the multibillion-dollar casino business, according to a report in the Boston Globe. Kevin Gover, who headed the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and his deputy, Michael J. Anderson, then took jobs in the private sector with firms that represent Indian gambling. The timing and manner of these decisions, and the historical, legal and financial stakes involved, certainly warrant the "hard and thorough" review a bureau spokeswoman promised. As bureau head, Gover had final authority to recognize tribes, a job that has carried tremendous importance in recent years as Indian groups won broad rights to open the cash cows known as casinos. Only weeks before the end of Clinton's term, Gover rejected the findings of staff that the Chinook tribe of Washington did not meet the standard for recognition. Gover then left the government and took a job with a firm that represents gambling tribes, and solicited business from -- among others -- the Chinook, according to the Globe. Anderson, meanwhile, became acting bureau chief and used his brief tenure to recognize the Nipmuc and Duwamish tribes, reversing, once again, the findings of the staff, the Globe reported. Upon leaving office, Anderson also joined a firm that represents Indian gambling interests. The act of recognizing tribes carries both historical and legal weight, and the probe should determine whether Clinton appointees corrupted the process or based their decisions on politics or personal gain. According to the Globe, Gover and Anderson broke tradition as political appointees by overturning the recommendations of professional staff. Anderson even ruled, on Clinton's last full day in office, that video slots used by the Seminole tribe in Florida are legal, thereby undercutting efforts by the state and federal government to stop the spread of electronic gambling on Indian lands. The rulings cannot be dismissed as a moot scandal. Communities are vulnerable to the gambling operations planned by tribes, because tribal recognition confers sovereign status on their operations. The federal government is the only real backstop. That's what makes the Clinton administration decisions so problematic and ripe for Bush to reverse.
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From the Times Opinion page |
