The president of one of the largest Native American tribes in the US announced Tuesday that he has relieved his vice president of responsibilities. She says she no longer represents his government and should consider resigning from the Navajo Nation’s highest office ever held by a woman. .
Chairman of the Navajo Nation Buu Nygren announced this during a press conference broadcast on social media. The tribe has been embroiled in political unrest since April, when Navajo Vice President Richelle Montoya publicly raised allegations of intimidation and sexual harassment within the government.
An independent investigation into Montoya’s claims was launched as other opponents of Nygren began collecting signatures from voters on the reservation — which includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah — as part of an effort to recall the president.
Nygren addressed the recall and outlined his reasons for ending Montoya’s authority during the news conference. He accused his opponents of failing to focus on issues affecting Navajo families, such as housing and employment, along with access to drinking water, electricity and other basic services.
“We will not be hindered or slowed down by selfish power hunters who do not want to be held accountable for their actions and care more about their own advancement than the betterment of the Navajo people,” Nygren said.
In a memo sent to Montoya on Tuesday, Nygren said her decision to “do nothing productive must have consequences.”
Montoya prepared a response to the president’s announcement Tuesday afternoon. In July, she sent her own six-page memo to Nygren, accusing him of deviating from their collective vision and “violating the trust of the people who voted for us as equals.” She said that after the inauguration, her ideas and recommendations were no longer sought after and she was removed from critical communications and planning.
She also said in the memo that the president’s actions had exacerbated the divide, but that she continued to work on behalf of the Navajo people despite the lack of support.
A staunch supporter of Nygren during his 2022 campaignMontoya took to social media in April and reported that she was intimidated and sexually harassed during an August 2023 meeting in the president’s office.
Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch confirmed last week that the investigation into Montoya’s claims was ongoing. Branch acknowledged frustration that the process has yet to be completed, but noted that numerous interviews were required, along with review of what she described as important documentation.
Montoya made history in 2023 when she took office alongside Nygren. At the time, she paid tribute to women on the Navajo Nation Council and in the matriarchal society, while encouraging tribal members to speak the Navajo language and always think seven generations ahead.
“For the next four years, I will give you my very best,” she told a crowd as the couple was sworn in at a rally in Fort Defiance, Arizona.
Nygren has accused Montoya of not making progress on the priorities he set for her. She said she has rejected requests to submit daily schedules and reports and instead made travel requests that do not reflect the government’s priorities.
“Everyone in my government is being held accountable, including myself. The vice president is no exception,” he said.
Nygren said Montoya’s decision in September to sign the recall petition against him “was her announcement to the Navajo people of her formal break with this administration.”
Organizers of the recall also include Debbie Nez-Manuel, who was fired earlier this year from her role as director of the tribe’s human resources department. Nez-Manuel disputed Nygren’s allegations that she bullied employees, telling The Associated Press on Tuesday that she followed the law and that employee complaints followed staff actions.
Nez-Manuel, a well-known Democratic Party organizer, said Nygren has failed to meet voters’ expectations and suggested he has not given the vice president the tools needed to succeed. She said many of those who signed the recall petition have expressed concern that older Navajos do not trust the younger generation to serve as leaders.
“He needs to resign, and that will take stock of what’s happening,” Nez-Manuel said.
Nygren said his administration has been successful in meeting the needs of the Navajos, pointing to the connection of more homes to water and electricity supplies and the recent negotiations on historic water rights settlements.