For weeks, leaders of Native American tribes all over the country have been urging President-elect Joe Biden to pick Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) to be his interior secretary. So have dozens of members of Congress , including Republicans.

But for some reason, some of Bidens advisers have begun anonymously planting the idea in news stories that the Native American congresswoman, who chairs a House subcommittee with oversight of the Interior Department, is not qualified. Whats also puzzling is that these sources say a better candidate is a lesser-known man who is also Native, Michael Connor, despite dozens of tribal leaders telling Biden, publicly and privately, that they back Haaland.

But her lack of policy experience worries some Biden advisers, who have suggested another Native American candidate: Michael L. Connor, a deputy interior secretary in the Obama administration, whose experience is unquestioned, reads a New York Times piece in late November.

But many of Mr. Bidens advisers fear that she lacks the experience to manage the sprawling complex agency, reads a second New York Times piece on Thursday.

Another anonymous conservation source told The Hill on Wednesday that Haalands support by progressive groups could complicate her Senate confirmation. This person suggested Haalands support for the Green New Deal, a legislative plan aimed at addressing climate change and economic inequality, could cause problems.

But Biden himself has called the proposal a crucial framework, and another top candidate for Interior, Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), supports the plan , too.

The anonymous slights against Haaland havent gone unnoticed by her supporters, who say they are angry and confused to see her being belittled by people in Bidens orbit. Some prominent Native women have noted the sexism of the anonymous comments, per reporter Julian Brave Noisecat . Some of Haalands supporters made similar suggestions to HuffPost privately; others were willing to go public with their frustrations.

Of course its offensive to say shes not qualified, said Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.

Not only is Haaland equipped for the job, he said, but she embodies the kind of diversity and representation in government that Biden says he wants. It would be a seismic shift to put a Native American woman at the helm of the federal agency that oversees public lands the same lands from which Indigenous people were previously forcibly removed by the U.S. government.

It would also be historic: The U.S. has never had any Indigenous Cabinet secretaries.

I think those individuals being anonymous should think that through for themselves, because by going after this person, youre standing in the way of history, Grijalva said. Were not going to get it again. Shes real. Shes authentic. Shes legitimate. And she should have it.

He added, Anything less than that, I think, is really going to create some blowback.