Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump makes a brief appearance at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 20, 2016. Photo from Facebook
A prominent Indian lobbyist believes it will be business as usual in the nation's capital if Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wins the November election. Michael J. Anderson, a member of the Muscogee Nation, spoke to The New York Times after hearing Newt Gingrich -- a key Trump supporter who was passed over for the vice presidential spot -- gush about the opportunities a new Republican administration would present to lobbyists and other power-brokers. “It is the business of Washington,” Anderson, a Democrat who held a high-level position at the Bureau of Indian Affairs during the Bill Clinton administration, told The Times. “Mr. Trump is talking about changing the paradigm. It’s not changing one bit. The political and influence class is going on as before.” Gingrich spoke at a private event hosted by a top Washington, D.C., law and lobbying firm, The Times reported. It was just one in a slew of similar events held this week during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. “For people who operate in and around government, you can’t not be here," Republican lobbyist Eric J. Tanenblatt of the Dentons firm told the paper. The convention wraps up on Thursday with a highly-anticipated address from Trump. But his former rival in the race, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), nearly upended the proceedings on Wednesday night after he refused to endorse his own party's nominee. According to news reports, Cruz was loudly booed after he urged Republicans to "vote your conscience” -- a comment that Trump supporters took as a major snub. The candidate himself then briefly appeared on the convention floor and seemed to encourage the crowd to turn against Cruz, according to reports. Get the Story:
G.O.P.’s Moneyed Class Finds Its Place in New Trump World (The New York Times 7/22)
Ted Cruz Stirs Convention Fury in Pointed Snub of Donald Trump (The New York Times 7/21)
Unity in question as Republicans prepare for Trump to take the stage Thursday (The Washignton Post 7/21) Republican Party Platform Documents:
2016: Honoring Our Relationship with American Indians | 2012: Honoring Our Relationship with American Indians | 2008: Supporting Native American Communities | 2004: Native Americans | 2000: Native Americans
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