When Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) last week criticized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for failing to protect sacred sites along the Missouri River, he didn't entirely disclose his role in the affair.

Daschle pushed legislation through Congress that transferred 150,000 acres of federal land along the river to two tribes and the state of South Dakota. But other tribes opposed the bill as a violation of their treaty rights.

Some of the land transferred to the state including a Yankton Sioux burial site. The tribe had to go to court to stop the state from destroying graves of their ancestors. A federal judge ruled that the Army Corps failed to consult the tribe.

In a separate lawsuit, the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe tried to prevent the state from taking title to land containing sacred sites. But a federal appeals court refused to step in.

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Land transfer could affect Senate race (AP 3/6)
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