SUSAN SHANNON, HOST: The Native American Times reported that the attorney general for one of the two rival Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal governments was arrested Monday night on felony child pornography charges. Jeremy Oliver was arrested by the Garvin County Sheriff’s Office for possession of child pornography, using technology to solicit child pornography and possession of a controlled dangerous substance. According to the arrest report, Oliver offered via text message to reduce a client’s fees in exchange for nude photographs or sexual favors from the client’s 13- and 18-year-old daughters, as well as sexual favors from the client. A search of his home at the time of the arrest uncovered several pounds of marijuana and several hundred nude photographs. A citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, Oliver is the attorney general for the government led by Leslie Wandrie-Harjo and was previously the general counsel for the tribes’ legislature. The constitutionally-bound tribes have been dealing with a leadership schism for more than two years.

SHANNON: This week President Obama announced his nominee to replace Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Sally Jewel.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: “In high school Sally’s aptitude test showed she had a knack for mechanical reasoning and spatial ability…we checked, we do thorough vetting. Of course, her recommended professions after she took these tests was to be a nurse or teacher, just like all the other girls in her class. And it wasn’t until she was an undergraduate at the University of Washington studying to be a dentist when Sally realized that her boyfriend’s homework was more interesting than hers, she decided to become an engineer. After graduation, she went on to work in the oilfields of Oklahoma and Colorado. Later she brought her experience in the energy sector to banking where she spent 19 years determining what makes companies succeed and fail. And most recently as CEO of REI, a position she has held for the last eight years. Sally has helped turned a stalling outdoor retailer into one of America’s most successful and environmentally conscious companies. Last REI donated almost $4 million dollars to protect trails and parks, and 20 per cent of the electricity used in their stores comes from renewable sources. So even as Sally has spent the majority of her career outside of Washington -- where, I might add, the majority of our interior is located -- she is an expert on the energy and climate issues that are going to shape our future. She is committed to building our nation-to-nation relationship with Indian Country. She knows the link between conservation and good jobs. She knows that there’s no contradiction between being good stewards of the land and our economic progress; that in fact, those two things need to go hand in hand.”

Indianz.com reported that tribal leaders welcomed the nomination of Sally Jewell, the chief executive officer of Recreational Equipment Inc., as the next Secretary of the Interior Department. Though Jewell doesn't have much direct experience in Indian Country, tribal leaders, particularly those from the Pacific Northwest, said her business background in Washington state and her work on environmental issues was significant. National Congress of American Indians President Jefferson Keel, a member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, released a statement that said "Sally Jewell’s diverse experience in energy, conservation, and stewardship efforts, presents an exciting opportunity for the country and tribal nations to make great strides and continue the transformation of the Department of the Interior under this President,"

If confirmed, Jewell would oversee the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians. The BIA's new leader, Kevin Washburn, is expected to stay on board for the remainder of the Obama administration. President Barack Obama has nominated Oklahoman and member of the Osage Nation, Vincent Logan, to head OST, but he has not yet had a confirmation hearing in the Senate.

 

SHANNON: Federal officials seized more than 500 cases of cigarettes produced and sold by an Oklahoma tribe at an upstate New York service station. Officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms confiscated the cases of Skydancer cigarettes and $500,000 on Jan. 15 after investigating the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe for not collecting excise taxes on sales to non-tribal citizens. The tribe produces the cigarettes near Grove, Okla., and owns the service station in question where the cigarettes were sold. Under New York state law, packs of cigarettes are subject to a $4.35 per pack sales tax unless sold to tribal citizens or on tribal land. In New York City, the rate increases to $5.85 per pack. No arrests or charges have been filed in the raid. Earlier this year, the tribe submitted a land-into-trust application for 229 acres in Cayuga and Seneca counties in upstate New York. The service station is on a parcel of land included in the application, which is still pending and has been subject to criticism from local officials, as well as U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Schumer said Monday that he urges “the federal government to oppose any land into trust applications that do not reflect the concerns of local and state officials, businesses and residents who would be adversely affected by the land’s tax-exempt status. Communities across Cayuga and Seneca counties have not agreed to this land into trust bid and the Bureau of Indian Affairs must reject it because it would create a checker boarding of jurisdiction, and would harm upstate New York’s local tax base, its businesses, and its future economic development.”