Having failed to stop the Dakota Access pipeline through both the regulatory process and the federal court system, opponents have resorted to dirty politics.
In their most shameful tactic yet, they are trying to smear the reputation — and end the career — of a decorated Army combat veteran and respected civil servant whose professional decisions they dislike. This must not be allowed to stand.
The now-famous protests against the 1,172-mile pipeline (which is more than 80 percent complete) began last summer when, with no evidence, leaders of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and their political allies sought to delegitimize the pipeline by accusing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of acting illegally and in bad faith.