CHEROKEE, N.C. — A tribal council has voted to remove its chief from office for only the second time since the early 1800s.
The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council found Principal Chief Patrick Lambert guilty on eight of 12 articles of impeachment on Thursday. The articles of impeachment included allegations that Lambert had used his office for personal gain by entering into a contract with Harrah's Cherokee Casino to rent rooms from his hotel.
Lambert was elected principal chief of the 14,000-member tribe in 2015 with more than 70 percent of the vote. He called the impeachment effort a "witch hunt" and retribution for his ordered audit of tribal programs, which led to an FBI investigation.
Vice Chief Richard Sneed takes over as principal chief.
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