Cedric Black Eagle, the chairman of the Crow Tribe of Montana, had a private meeting with his adopted brother, President Barack Obama, at the White House last week.

Black Eagle was in Washington, D.C., to lobby on Indian energy issues. He was at the White House when he was unexpectedly pulled away.

"I'm in D.C. quite a bit and I look at the White House, and we've done the White House tour. But I didn't think I'd end up in the Oval Office to meet with the president, to take up any of his time," Black Eagle told The Billings Gazette. "I was really surprised and humbled by it."

Black Eagle's parents, Hartford "Sonny" and Mary Black Eagle, adopted Obama during a May 2008 campaign visit to the reservation. Black Eagle and the then-candidate met a few times that year and the tribe took part in the inaugural parade in January.

In related Crow news, the tribe elected Calvin "Coolidge" Jefferson, Jr. as chairman in a special election on Saturday.

Get the Story:
Crow chairman visits Obama in Oval Office (The Billings Gazette 6/20)
Jefferson elected Crow vice chairman (The Billings Gazette 6/22)

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