Bureau of Indian Affairs head resigned following claims of aggressive behavior: report

The former director of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs resigned last week following a claim that he behaved aggressively toward a female employee, Talking Points Memo reported Wednesday.

Bryan Rice resigned from the post after just six months on the job. The department did not give a reason for his resignation at the time. 

Talking Points Memo obtained an email from an employee at the Bureau of Indian Affairs who alleges that Rice “repeatedly pointed his finger in my face in a harassing and bullying manner.” She called the behavior “pervasive.” 

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The employee claimed there is video of the incident. Multiple Freedom of Information Act requests have reportedly been filed seeking footage of Rice’s behavior.

The Department of Interior did not respond to requests from Talking Points Memo about Rice’s departure, and an inspector general spokesperson did not say whether the office had received complaints about Rice. 

A spokesperson for the Department of Interior did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

Rice, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, was a veteran official at the Bureau of Indian Affairs before his appointment as the bureau’s director in October.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs handles relations between the federal government and 573 federally recognized tribes.