Oklahoma Republican attorney general Gentner Drummond has accused Governor Kevin Stitt of failing to follow state law and said that he is stepping into a long-running legal dispute over tribal gambling agreements Stitt signed three years ago. Drummond said that he is joining the lawsuit to represent the state’s interest at the request of House Speaker Charles McCall and Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat.
As per news agency AP, state nations Cherokee, Chickasaw, Citizen Potawatomi, and Choctaw filed a federal lawsuit in federal district court in Washington over the governor’s gambling compacts with four other tribes: the Comanche Nation, the Otoe-Missouria, the Kialegee Tribal Town and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. Drummond has claimed that private law firms hired by Stitt to defend the compacts have already racked up nearly $600,000 in legal fees.
“As you should fully understand, this long-running and costly litigation is a direct result of your refusal to follow Oklahoma law,” Drummond wrote in a letter. “The four tribal gaming compacts you signed were invalid from the start because you did not have the approval or authorization from the Oklahoma Legislature to enter the gaming compacts.”
As per the publication, Stitt entered into those agreements after a failed attempt in 2019 to renegotiate the gambling compacts with all of the Oklahoma-based tribes, seeking a greater share of the revenue for the state. At the time, he had also argued that the compacts approved by voters in 2004 had expired. However, a federal judge sided with the tribes and said the compacts were automatically renewed.
Stitt’s relationship with tribal leaders has suffered ever since and has also drawn criticism about his hostile approach to tribal negotiations. AP cited Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, who noted that within this week, lawmakers may consider taking control of negotiating tribal compacts away from the governor.
“Oklahoma’s relationship with our tribal partners has suffered greatly as a result of your divisive rhetoric and refusal to follow the law,” Drummond further wrote in his letter to Stitt. “The citizens you were elected to serve are the ones who suffer from this irresponsible approach.
“Instead of working in partnership with tribal leaders to enact compacts that benefit all four million Oklahomans, you insist on costly legal battles that only benefit the elite law firms you hire. Millions of dollars of state resources have been squandered on these futile efforts.”
Abegail Cave, the communications director for Stitt’s office, in a statement, responded: “General Drummond, in an unprecedented move, is turning his back on four tribes who have been sued by Oklahoma’s wealthiest tribes.
“Drummond continues to work with these wealthy tribes as they use Oklahoma political officials to further their agenda. Governor Stitt is actively fighting for eastern Oklahoma as these tribes continue their efforts to turn Tulsa and much of the rest of eastern Oklahoma into a reservation.”
Oklahoma houses over 130 casinos and has seen its casino industry boom since voters approved a gambling expansion in 2004. The tribes in the state paid nearly $200 million last year for the exclusive right to casino-style gambling, which was earmarked for public schools.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2023/07/27/68070-oklahoma-attorney-general-to-join-legal-dispute-over-gambling-compacts-gov-stitt-signed-in-2020
