By Steven Bullcoming Haworth
Truth in Focus | October 13, 2026 | Follow-up reporting
LAME DEER, Montana — Steve Kelly has responded to a Truth in Focus inquiry about his professional history and work involving the Northern Cheyenne government. His response provides additional context about his tribal-law career and the Trustland companies, but it does not supply the executed contract or the historical hearing document the newsroom has been seeking.
What the October 5 Council action established
During an October 5 session, eight members of the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council unanimously approved a Trustland Consultants LLC arrangement for legal, accounting, administrative and policy-related work, according to reporting by Buffalo’s Fire. The report said Ernest Littlemouth Sr. was granted spending-approval authority under the arrangement. The full executed agreement, dollar value, payment provisions, contract duration and written sole-source justification have not been obtained by Truth in Focus.
The newspaper’s account is evidence of the Council’s reported action, not a substitute for the contract itself. Readers should be able to examine the authorization, scope, cost and procurement documentation before reaching conclusions about the arrangement.
Kelly provides his account
On October 13, Kelly responded to a direct message from Truth in Focus publisher Steven Bullcoming Haworth, who had identified himself and asked Kelly to provide clarification and documentation for the newsroom’s review. Kelly stated that he worked as an in-house Northern Cheyenne attorney from 1997 until April 2002 and later as a supervising attorney for the Three Affiliated Tribes until August 2008.
Kelly described Trustland Oilfield Services as a business that operated from approximately 2009 through 2016 and said he had shut it down. He distinguished that operation from his consulting and advocacy work through Trustland Consultants. These are Kelly’s descriptions of his businesses; the newsroom has not independently completed a current corporate-record review of the entities or their activities.
A 2010 U.S. Senate hearing record independently identifies Kelly at that time as an owner and manager of Trustland Consultants LLC and Trustland Oilfield Services LLC. That historical record establishes what he said about the firms in 2010; it does not alone establish the current status of either company.
Kelly also offered his views about the ongoing Northern Cheyenne leadership dispute. Those views are his position and should not be mistaken for independently verified findings concerning President Gene Small or the disputed proceedings.
Kelly closed his October 13 message: “Thank you for the inquiry. That is all I have to say at this time.” The wording indicates he did not intend to add further comment then; it does not establish wrongdoing or rule out future clarification.
The questions that remain unanswered
The inquiry also sought the specific 2013 hearing precedent Kelly was heard referring to in a recorded discussion of closed proceedings. No authenticated 2013 resolution or hearing record was provided in his response. Truth in Focus continues to seek the document and will not assume either that it exists in the form described or that it does not exist merely because it has not yet been located.
The contract-related questions also remain: What is the full executed agreement? What is its total cost and funding source? What work is required, for how long and under what oversight? What procurement rule and written findings supported sole-source selection? Have conflict-of-interest disclosures or other authorizations been made available?
Truth in Focus sent a further written request to Alicia Cano at the Tribal Council office on October 13, following an in-person conversation earlier that day, seeking public Council actions, contracts and procurement records including any Trustland Consultants agreement. The newsroom welcomes an official response or authenticated documents from the Council and Kelly.
These are unanswered public-record questions, not findings of corruption, misconduct or an undisclosed relationship. The newsroom will publish additional verified information, material responses and corrections as they become available.
Previous coverage: Who Is Trustland Consultants? The October 5 Agenda and Sole-Source Questions and Who Is Steve Kelly? A Public-Record Look.
Reporting note: This article attributes business-history and political comments to Kelly’s October 13 response and distinguishes his account from the public documents available to the newsroom. No personal-life allegations are included.