Until a few days ago, I was President Trump’s nominee to be the director of the Indian Health Service. He tapped me to lead and fix that sadly dysfunctional agency because I’ve spent the last decade of my life starting and operating successful businesses and creating jobs in Indian country that improve native peoples’ access to healthcare.
I’m not a politician. Native American health and wellness are my passion and mission. That may in part explain how I was completely blindsided during the nomination process by someone’s malicious actions.
Unfortunately, my nomination was derailed after the public release, by someone in the government, of an unauthorized, “work-in-process” personal background draft document to one of our tribal health organizations. They then sent this out to their entire list of members. Predictably, it made its way to the press, culminating in a savage but error-laden attack on my honesty, character, and good name by various news outlets.
If the press had access to my authentic background, or the confidential information I actually submitted, much of this would have been cleared up immediately. Unfortunately, this never happened. And some journalists were less than scrupulous in trying to find the whole truth.
I am now forced to walk away from helping IHS from the inside, but I still stand ready to help President Trump in any way he needs me. As such, I would at least like to put the truth on the record, to rebut the false accusations against me, and to add some much-needed context to the half-true ones.
First, I’ve been accused of claiming falsely that I have a college degree. This is simply untrue. I have never claimed or represented myself as obtaining a college degree. I don’t regret not finishing college, and it clearly didn’t hold me back from success.
The second accusation against me was that I padded my resume, overstating the role I played as a full-time employee at Saint John’s Hospital from 1997 to 2004 and as PRN, or “pro re nata,” status, or on-call, until 2006. I started there in 1997, at the age of 19, as an entry-level weekend admissions clerk. I then became patient access coordinator in 1999. My job description, signed by St. John’s CFO at the time, states that I was:
“responsible for coordinating, monitoring, and performing activities of personnel engaged in the follow-up and collection of insurance portion of third party claims and accounts, provides technique advice and support to all Patient Access/Registrations staff, provides input to Manager indicated regarding operation aspects.”
This was a leadership role. By the way, this job description was signed by two men quoted in the media casting doubts upon my truthfulness. One is Tony Noronha, who now says he doesn’t remember me, perhaps unsurprising considering the time that has passed, and the hospital’s 2,000 employees. Robert Henderson, on the other hand, was my director.
Against those who have maligned me regarding the role I played at Saint John’s, I have gathered statements (available at this link) from the hospital’s former COO, Dottie Bringle, from Dr. Renee Walker, a member of the medical executive team while I was there, and from Melissa Snyder, a former subordinate, all of whom can attest that I was working in a leadership role that matches the description I gave.
The third accusation against me was that I hid my time working at Herndon Snider & Associates because I left them in financial disarray and over a financial dispute. This is false on all three counts. My confirmation disclosures clearly state that I worked at HSA from 2004 to 2008. But the practice’s founder and namesake, who said in the press that he wouldn’t hire me again, actually didn’t hire me in the first place. He wasn’t the owner of the firm, he wasn’t my boss, and he wasn’t even an employee when I worked there. The actual owner had given me permission to sell insurance products on my own while employed there, and my first group client as an independent insurance producer was in fact HSA.
With respect to my entire employment history, including my tenure at St. John’s Hospital and HSA, the FBI and the Office of Governmental Ethics did an extensive background check, and the result was that I received the “pre-clearance” designation in September 2017 that was essential to the nomination process proceeding. I thoroughly answered the questions contained in the extensive questionnaire from the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.
There were also questions about my personal finances that muddied the water around my nomination. I declared personal bankruptcy in 2001 at the age of 23 because I had made some poor financial decisions in my late teens and early twenties. This happened before I got married, had four children, started multiple businesses that have served the healthcare needs of some 16,000 Native Americans, and made millions of dollars.
Two tax liens were filed against one of my businesses in 2010. This occurred because an employee had concealed the fact that payroll taxes were not paid for three quarters. After this was discovered, that employee was immediately dismissed, the tax payments addressed, and the liens lifted. The business itself was never in any financial trouble.
I was also alleged to have personally donated $500 per month from March through November of 2017 to the Trump Make America Great Again Committee. This allegation is true, but it’s not a scandal; it’s free speech. I support President Trump, and I would do it again.
And so the allegations raised against me in the media are either baseless or irrelevant. With the known problem of congestion of Senate confirmations, even the hint of controversy can be ruinous for any nominee. It certainly ended my bid to serve at IHS. But as a businessman and entrepreneur, I will continue to serve the public by improving native peoples’ health and wellness.
In three years, IHS has had four different acting directors, and it will soon have a fifth. It is my hope that someday soon, Indian country will be given a permanent Indian Health Service Director whom Washington’s swamp creatures and deep state operators will not be able to drown, and that he or she will actually be able to get something done.
Tribal leaders must be heard and real action taken to solve the healthcare crisis in Indian country. Indian country deserves better, and deserves it as soon as possible. No matter your politics, the health and wellness of our peoples should come first.
Robert Weaver, President Trump’s former nominee to head the Indian Health Service, is founder and CEO of RWI Benefits, LLC. He can be contacted at [email protected]
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