The Poarch Band of Creek Indians owns and operates the Wind Creek Casino in Atmore, Alabama. Photo: U.S. Library of Congress

Regulation

Poarch Band of Creek Indians said to be on Trump's radar

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Are the Poarch Band of Creek Indians the next target of President Donald Trump and his terrifying tweets?

A news outlet that has repeatedly railed against the tribe sure seems to thinks so. According to the Alabama Political Reporter, federal authorities are investigating the tribe's gaming enterprise and the occupant of the White House is watching too.

“Stories citing the president’s disdain for Indian underhanded tactics are always an interest to the White House,” a person said to be a "former White House insider" told the outlet. “Trump forgets nothing … what the tribe is up to in Alabama is being heard in Washington.”

But the "stories" about "Indian underhanded tactics" seem to be originating from only one place and that happens to be the Alabama Political Reporter. In numerous news articles and opinion pieces on the site, the tribe is depicted as operating a gaming monopoly that enables it to exert widespread influence in the state.

One recent story with the headline "Trump warned against it in 1993, now it’s coming home to Alabama" essentially congratulated Trump for predicting what is happening in the state during his infamous appearance on Capitol Hill some 26 years ago.

"The future commander-in-chief railed against what he saw as the outsized privilege given by the government to tribal interests while denying private owners a fair seat at the table," the April 4 story read.

Incidentally, the premise of that statement -- that tribes are somehow getting special treatment at the expense of others -- is the same one underlying the 24-word tweet that derailed two pro-tribal bills on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

The reason for the outlet's intense focus on the tribe is tied to efforts in the state to legalize a lottery. Almost every post on the site portrays the lottery in extremely negative terms.

The tribe is naturally interested in the debate because of its Class II gaming enterprise. Authorizing a lottery could open the door to more lucrative Class III gaming, something that has occurred in other states.

The tribe in the past has repeatedly asked state governors to negotiate for Class III gaming but all have refused to come to the table.

As for those supposed "multiple federal probes," the Alabama Political Reporter says they appear to be focused on routine aspects of the tribe's gaming enterprise. A long-running dispute between the Poarch Band and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation over a casino built on a sacred site also appears to be of interest for reasons the outlet admitted it could not fully explain.