"In short, Attorney General [Rob] McKenna does not support limited tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indian domestic abusers. It is not an “priority” for him; at least not an “immediate” one. “Right now,” he instead supports the status quo, which has failed tribal communities and Indian women. While he deserves credit for going further on this issue than most Republicans will – meaning at least admitting there is a violence against Indian women problem in Indian Country – McKenna is playing it far too safe for fear of offending his GOP base as he vies for the Washington Governor’s Mansion. Congress, namely the House GOP, has no intention of genuinely debating the Senate’s VAWA reauthorization bill to passage, and he knows it.

Indeed, as local pundits have suggested, Attorney General McKenna has played it altogether too safe on tribal issues with a view towards this gubernatorial election: “there’s a perception here that Mr. McKenna’s performance of his duties as attorney general has been influenced by the fact that he would like to have a less than adversarial relationship with the tribes come this election cycle.”"

Get the Story:
Ryan Dreveskracht: Rob McKenna: Tribal Friend or Foe? (Galanda Broadman Blog 10/22)