Indian agency nominee defends ties to gambling interests Story-Date: 03:59 p.m. PST Thursday , October 30, 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------ Indian agency nominee defends ties to gambling interests By Philip Brasher Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- Kevin Gover, President Clinton's choice to run the troubled Bureau of Indian Affairs, defended Indian tribes' increased involvement in the political arena. Gover, an Albuquerque, N.M., attorney who has raised money for Clinton, also pledged at his confirmation hearing Thursday not to be influenced by tribes' contributions. He received a warm reception from members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. An anti-gambling group has said Gover's past lobbying for Indian gambling interests should disqualify him. Gover's clients include the Tesuque Pueblo, which contributed $50,000 to the Democratic National Committee in 1996 during a long-running battle with federal prosecutors over the validity of Indian gambling operations in New Mexico. Gover said he encouraged such contributions from tribes. "I have always believed that Indian people need to become more involved in the political process," he said. Gover said the tribe had not received any favorable treatment from the administration in return for the money, and he pledged that he would personally never be "influenced by who gave contributions to whom. Period." Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., the chairman, said an FBI background investigation uncovered "nothing whatsoever that tainted" Gover's nomination as assistant Interior secretary for Indian affairs. "I would just hope this mismanaged department can be straightened out," Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., told Gover, "and I hope you're the one who can do it." An anti-gambling group has urged the Senate to reject the nomination. "The Bureau of Indian Affairs needs a fair-minded, objective leader, not someone who has served as a mouthpiece for the casino industry," said Tom Grey, executive director of the National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion. The BIA must approve tribal plans for off-reservation gambling and the tribal-state compacts that are required for operating Indian casinos. The agency also provides an array of services to reservations, from law enforcement to education and welfare. It has long been portrayed by congressional investigators as one of the worst-run government agencies. ------------------------------------------------------------