Inside the turmoil: confidential report describes disorder, staff fears in Navajo government

PAGE-LAKE POWELL

A confidential 84-page report to the Navajo Nation Council outlines internal turmoil and contested authority inside the Office of the President and Vice President, describing staff fears, disputed personnel actions and questions about spending practices that surfaced after President Buu Nygren sought to remove Controller Sean McCabe from his position at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 7, 2025.

The report was submitted Nov. 11 at the request of Delegate Danny Simpson. It outlines what happened between Oct. 6 and Oct. 23, detailing how personnel decisions, procurement card activity and contract approvals unfolded as McCabe and his staff were cut out of systems and replaced by appointees selected by the president.

According to the report, obtained by the Navajo Times through its investigation, Nygren issued a memo on Oct. 7 removing McCabe as controller. That night, McCabe’s access to email and other systems was terminated after Kris Beecher, Nygren’s former chief of staff who is now acting attorney general, emailed Rachel Williams at the controller’s office without a personnel action form or Council authorization, stating that “Robert Willie is now interim controller.” The following day, Nygren appointed Alva R. Tom to the interim role.

The report states that on Oct. 8, after actions taken by Tom and the OPVP, members of the Office of the Controller reported feeling “threatened, anxious, or unsafe.” McCabe granted administrative leave to any employee who expressed those concerns. On Oct. 9, Beecher directed employees at the controller’s office to disregard McCabe’s authorization, telling them, “I understand there are mixed messages coming from the former Interim Controller McCabe and the Navajo Nation Council. However, you are employees of the Executive Branch of the Navajo Nation, reporting to the President of the Navajo Nation.

“Because of the current confusion, I am authorizing OOC employees to work from home, if your job allows for it, today only, October 9th, 2025. Please work with your supervisor and fill out the Telecommuter’s Agreement found on DPM’s website if you haven’t already.”

The document states that once the attorney general issued an opinion naming Tom as acting controller, Tom and Beecher went to the office with the opinion in hand and ordered managers to sign a personnel form acknowledging McCabe’s termination. Managers later told McCabe, in a meeting with Delegates Germaine Simonson and Cherilyn Yazzie present, that they signed “under duress when they did as apparent coercion or threats were made against these individuals by Kris Beecher and/or Alva Tom if respective managers did not sign this PAF.” OOC management reported that it feared for its safety.

Staff also told McCabe they learned sometime that week that Tom’s appointment had been changed from interim to acting controller, though the report notes that no Council authorization had been issued for such a shift.

P-card actions raise budget concerns

The document details a separate dispute involving OPVP’s operational and travel procurement cards. A memo dated Oct. 6 and signed by Marisha Little, an executive assistant and finance staff member, and concurred by Beecher, stated that a “temporary operating budget” would allow “the continued performance of essential administrative and travel functions.

“Reactivating these cards will enable timely purchases for ongoing operations, official travel and other authorized activities in support of the office’s mission and obligations.”

McCabe wrote in the report that this temporary budget was created “by the OPVP, initiated and approved by Alva Tom” using funds set aside by the Council for the Four Corners K-9 Unit, a move he found to be inconsistent with the Budget Instruction Manual and the intent of that funding. Despite that, cards for four OPVP officials – Chief Legal Counsel Bidtah N. Becker, Little, Vikki Shirley, the Chinle Agency representative, and Brittany Smith, the executive assistant for legal counsel – were reactivated on Oct. 8. A request to reactivate Nygren’s card was denied because it was delinquent and under audit.

The report includes statements from contract accounting staff who said Tom attempted to modify delegation authorities, direct staff to wire funds tied to a grant that had already ended and reverse McCabe’s instructions on purchase orders connected to Bashas’.

“Alva tried to have me and Debbie wire funds for WIC although the grant ended with Veronica J. Clark and Sherylene Yazzie with NDOH (Navajo Department of Health),” one staffer reported.

The staff member said they asked Tom to provide a personnel form confirming her authority, after which “she didn’t return to my office for anything.” Tom on Oct. 8 also authorized changes to who was allowed to pick up the individual’s payroll and reimbursement checks.

By Oct. 10, former Attorney General Colin Bradley issued an opinion stating that Tom was the interim controller. According to the report, Arctic IT revealed that the DOJ instructed the company not to include McCabe in discussions related to the Enterprise Resource Planning system. The report notes this directive “may have caused delays that set the project back.”

Purchasing, contract decisions come under scrutiny

The document outlines broader concerns raised by the Purchasing Department following McCabe’s quarterly report to the Council on Oct. 20. In an Oct. 21 email, purchasing staff reported that the OPVP and other divisions attempted to use federal funds for event sponsorships until stopped by staff. They also reported efforts to split purchases to avoid major procurement thresholds.

“OPVP used and continued attempting to use other programs funding which included external and general funds generating acquisitions,” the email reads. “OPVP and other programs supporting OPVP purchases were splitting purchases in order to bypass major purchase threshold and advertising.”

Purchasing staff also questioned a senior center assessment contract executed on Sept. 26 with Gleaming Cube Realty Capital. They said documentation of advertising and bid tabulation was incomplete and that a 164 packet submitted for the project had deficiencies.

“The 164 has not been finalized by our office and is on hold due to discrepancies that need clarification,” the report states.

In an Oct. 22 email, Contract Accounting staff reported that agreements were being signed by the president before the 164 process was complete. They wrote that program managers were pressuring accounting staff to issue contract numbers after the documents were already signed.

“I am hoping the contractors are not already doing the job without an official contract award,” the message reads.

The report also references budget allocation documents showing how the OPVP increased its fiscal 2026 budget to $5.2 million by reallocating funds from other divisions, including the Office of the Controller. It states that the OPVP unilaterally determines the allocation of the $102 million base planning amount.

Another document cited describes McCabe’s determination that moving $250,000 intended for the Four Corners K-9 Unit into the OPVP operating accounts was not allowable under Council Legislation BFJY-54-25. McCabe wrote that he asked the Office of Management and Budget about the issue on Oct. 6. The next day, he received the termination memo from the president.

McCabe closes the report by writing that the controller’s office “draws no conclusions nor makes any accusations” and is intended only to inform the Council of the actions taken during the disputed transition period. The document is marked confidential and intended only for the 25th Navajo Nation Council and its staff.

McCabe declined to comment when reached by the Navajo Times Thursday night.

The Navajo Times requested comment from President Buu Nygren and copied five of his key staff members in an email, including Vice President Richelle Montoya and Kris Beecher, with a question about the report. Nygren did not respond Friday afternoon.

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