For only the second time since the early 1800s, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council voted to remove its chief. The council recently voted 9-3 to approve the articles of impeachment removing Principal Chief Patrick Lambert, finding him guilty of eight out of 12 articles including allegations he used his office for personal gain. Vice Chief Richard Sneed replaced Lambert as principal chief.
An attorney who served as executive director of the Tribal Gaming Commission for 22 years, Lambert was accused of signing a contract with Harrah’s Cherokee Casino in Cherokee, North Carolina to have the casino rent rooms in a hotel he owned. He also was accused of signing contracts without approval of the tribal council, and improper hiring practices, including hiring an attorney for his personal benefit.
Lambert and his attorney, Scott Jones, said the allegations were not impeachable offenses. In his closing argument, Jones said of Lambert, “There is no evidence that he committed impeachable offenses. He’s done the best of his ability to provide services and protect the charter.” However, Special Prosecutor Robert Saunooke said Lambert cherry-picked the tribal laws he followed. He stated, “There are no exceptions to laws.”
Lambert was elected principal chief in 2015 with more than 70 percent of the vote. He had called the impeachment drive a “witch hunt” and stated, “What we just saw today was nine people. How many people in this crowd support me? I think those nine overruled 71 percent of this tribe.” However, Lambert said he accepted the decision. “I’m not angry about the impeachment. We need to stop fighting,” he said. More than a dozen Lambert supporters marched outside the tribal chambers after the impeachment vote.
The of the 14,000-member tribe Eastern Band of the Cherokee has been led by 27 chiefs since the early 1800s. Besides Lambert, Jonathan “Ed” Taylor was removed by a unanimous tribal council vote in 1995 for allegedly soliciting bribes and for using employees paid by the tribe to work on his homes and automobiles.
