Top Interior Official Resigned Amid Claims Of Intimidating Behavior
When the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) abruptly resigned last week after less than six months in his post, the agency gave no explanation.
But an e-mail from a BIA employee obtained by TPM claims the director, Bryan Rice, exhibited aggressive and intimidating behavior toward her in an incident she believes was captured by a surveillance camera. The woman involved and her supporters have been urging tribal leaders — via e-mail and social media — to submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the Interior Department for the video of the alleged incident. At least five did so in the weeks leading up to Rice’s resignation, according to the agency’s FOIA logs.
The five identically worded FOIA queries read: “Request footage of the Indian Affairs FOIA Officer, Jessica Rogers and Bryan Rice, Bureau of Indian Affairs Director on the 4th floor north and south hallway in the main Interior building on December 6, 2017, between on or about 9 am and noon.”
On March 26 of this year, BIA FOIA officer Jessica Rogers blasted out an e-mail to Native American tribal leaders calling Rice “an insidious perpetrator of harassment” and encouraging them to submit FOIA requests for video of Rice “exerting intimidating and hostile behavior” toward Rogers.
“The Bureau of Indian Affairs Director, Bryan Rice repeatedly pointed his finger in my face in a harassing and bullying manner,” Rogers wrote in the e-mail obtained by TPM. “I respectfully request and urge you to do everything in your power to hold the Federal Government accountable.” In the e-mail, Rogers described Rice’s behavior as “pervasive,” and included detailed instructions for filing the FOIA request.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/exclusive-top-interior-official-resigned-amid-claims-of-intimidating-behavior
= new reply since forum marked as read
