Council grills Nygren on texts, spending after court halts removal

WINDOW ROCK

A day after a Navajo Nation District Court judge granted President Buu Nygren’s temporary restraining order blocking Speaker Crystalyne Curley’s removal legislation, the Navajo Nation Council met in a special session to approve separate funding measures for the Legislative and Executive branches.

Delegates moved quickly through three pieces of legislation and were in the process of adjourning when Nygren unexpectedly entered the Council Chamber.

Curley had already begun closing the session, but at the request of Health, Education and Human Services Committee Chair Vince James, she yielded the floor to allow the president a brief opportunity to speak.

“We are still livestreaming as well,” Curley said as she granted him the remaining minutes.

Nygren began by thanking delegates, acknowledging the disruption and asking for a moment to address the Chamber, which has been strained by weeks of escalating conflict.

“First and foremost, I want to say, ‘Yá’át’ééh,’ and thank you for allowing me to say a few words,” he said. “As you’re probably aware, last month in what I thought was a private conversation, I used language that I shouldn’t have in moments of great stress.”

Nygren is referring to text messages he exchanged with Controller Sean McCabe in which he wrote expletive words before terminating him.

The text messages, which McCabe later revealed he sent screenshots of the text messages to members of the Council, were then leaked publicly.

“I take full responsibility for my words. As Navajo people, our words are sacred,” he said on Wednesday.

He apologized directly to delegates for the text messages that recently became public.

“I apologize for using hurtful words or disrespectful words,” Nygren said. “As a naat’áanii, I apologize. I have the deepest respect for all of you.”

The president said his primary reason for entering the Chamber was to seek an amendment to secure operating funds for his office, which has been without a functioning budget for nearly two months.

“Everything’s kind of frozen on my shop,” he told the Council. “I came over in hopes that I could secure an operating budget because I don’t have anything on my end.”

Budget request sparks confrontation over trust, spending

The apology immediately gave way to a tense confrontation.

Budget and Finance Committee Vice Chair Carl Slater pressed Nygren on the leaked messages, which showed him discussing the political removal of Navajo Nation Fiscal Recovery Fund department manager Wilson Stewart.

“In those messages, there is also attempted political firing of Wilson Stewart,” Slater said. “I would like to hear why the president believes that that is an acceptable form of behavior.”

Nygren apologized again to Stewart, who was seated in the audience, but Slater pushed further, citing “an immense body of evidence of financial mismanagement” tied to the president’s office.

“It’s very difficult for the people in this room and the Navajo people to trust you with additional money,” Slater said. “The Innovative Electric invoices alone should be disqualifying.”

Slater is referring to copies of invoices from the Farmington-based electric company that were attached the Curley’s removal legislation.

Nygren declined to discuss investigations.

“Anything that’s under investigation or in the courts I will definitely not discuss here on the floor,” he said to Slater.

Budget and Finance Committee Chair Amber Kanazbah Crotty criticized Office of the President and Vice President staff for failing to follow Navajo Nation budget procedures and pointed to escalating personnel costs.

“We are still assisting the Office of the President and Vice President staff to properly develop budget forms,” she said. “We cannot continuously perform your position and your jobs.”

She outlined how the OPVP’s budget has nearly doubled since fiscal 2023 and urged Nygren to reallocate funding from numerous vacant personnel positions instead of seeking additional money.

“There has to be some accountability,” Crotty said.

Nygren defended his staffing decisions, saying he received approval for 15 new positions “with $0” to fund them.

“How am I supposed to fund it?” he asked. “The only way was to allocate dollars to those positions.”

Delegate Eugenia Charles-Newton criticized Nygren’s timing.

“I don’t think that that was a really sincere apology,” she said. “You wouldn’t be apologizing at a time when you need money.”

She questioned OPVP’s staffing levels, saying, “You have 37 staff right now devoted just to you. They get paid over $70,000 to hand out food.”

James, speaking in Navajo, argued that reallocating funds from vacant positions could alone cover Nygren’s request.

“That will give you over $1.6 million,” he said.

The tense exchange took place the day after Judge Cynthia Thompson issued a temporary order halting Curley’s removal legislation, which accuses Nygren and Vice President Richelle Montoya of multiple violations of Navajo Nation law.

Beecher reappointed intensifies standoff before adjournment

The tension deepened when Nygren read a letter he sent reappointing Kris O. Beecher as acting attorney general, just an hour after the Council unanimously rejected Beecher’s confirmation.

Before the president made his way to the Council Chamber, the Council didn’t waste time to hear Beecher’s confirmation legislation, which was sponsored by Delegate Shawna Anna Claw, and went straight to a vote.

Beecher’s confirmation was rejected by a 0-19 vote.

After Nygren read the memo reappointing Beecher as the tribe’s acting attorney general, Curley sharply objected.

“This is very inappropriate,” she said. “It is disheartening to see that our vote is not respected. Navajo Nation law continues to be made fun of or a joke.”

Crotty challenged the legality of Nygren’s action.

“There is no acting attorney general under Navajo Nation law,” she said. “The attorney general shall be appointed by the Navajo Nation Council.”

Several delegates delivered emotional remarks calling for unity. Delegate Otto Tso urged both branches not to undermine each other, while Delegate George Tolth told Nygren, partly in Navajo, that the people expect cooperation.

“We have to come back together,” Tolth said. “We rely on you to get this job done.”

After nearly two hours of debate, Nygren acknowledged that the Council was unlikely to grant his budget request.

“I kind of got my answer coming to the Council today,” he said. “It’s just going to be the same for the next several months unless something changes.”

He told delegates he would ensure that legislative district assistants would be supported.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said.

Before concluding the meeting, Curley emphasized that the Council’s decisions were rooted in law, not personal conflict.

“This is not personal,” she said. “It’s never been personal. All we’re doing is upholding the law. It’s not about a power grab.”

Curley closed the session by urging Nygren to learn Title 2 and fully participate in the upcoming fiscal 2026 budget cycle.

“If you do want to work together, it shows through the actions that you take,” she said.

The Council adjourned with the budget standoff unresolved and the removal legislation pending further review in court.

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