Gover's defenders speak

Gover, supporters respond to criticismCobell's insinuation that Gover "thumbed his nose at Indian people" found poor support in Washington at least. More treasured here is Gover's September 2000 apology for the BIA's past record in Indian country--a performance at once magisterial and modest, moving and genuine, in the estimation of many who experienced it. It can be found online at video.google.com.

Bruce deGrazia, president of Global Homeland Security Advisors in Washington and an attorney and archaeologist by training, doesn't have a dog in the trust funds fight. He worked with Gover and the BIA as assistant deputy undersecretary of the Defense Department for environmental quality from 1997 to 2001. American Indian issues were among his responsibilities at Defense. "I had professional encounters with Kevin Gover ... regular contacts in meetings because of my responsibility for Indian issues. ... I found him to be intelligent, a very personable guy, had his finger on the issues, was a good communicator of those issues. I think that his appointment ... is an excellent one." Gover's skills will serve him well as he addresses "big-picture" issues as opposed to daily detail, in deGrazia's view. If there had been a concern with his integrity, deGrazia said, "We would have heard about it. And there wasn't a peep."