Assistant secretary Dave Anderson says a comment attributed to him about gaming helping relatively few Indians was taken out of context.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported the comment in a story published yesterday. The paper interviewed Anderson, a Minnesota resident, last Thursday.

But the Bureau of Indian Affairs head says that the comment was incorrectly reported. He was only noting that not all tribes have gaming and that not all casinos are bringing in millions.

"It’s wrong to think all Indians are rich," he tells The Native American Times.

Anderson also says rumors of his demise are also wrong. Responding to reports that top-level aides are unsupportive, he tells the paper, "It's like a flock of geese and the leader is being switched and a new leader comes on board, there is bound to be turbulence … that’s normal."

Get the Story:
Anderson defends decision to recuse himself from gaming/recognition duties (The Native American Times 6/14)

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