Presumed 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, who President Trump has repeatedly derided with the “Pocahontas” nickname, has reportedly apologized to the Cherokee Nation released DNA tests that supposedly backed up her long-standing claim that she has Native American ancestry. In October, Sen. Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat originally from Oklahoma, released the results of the test that showed she was as minimal as 1/1,024th Native American, which is apparently less than the average white person. “[The test data] was widely viewed as a serious stumble by Warren, with mockery from conservatives over how marginal her claim was and derision from progressives for delving into race science,” the Washington Free Beacon explained. All along, Warren had insisted that she was part Cherokee based on family folklore and also denied that she used said heritage to qualify for prestigious academic jobs through affirmative action.
From the Tulsa World:
“Reportedly planning to make her presidential bid official this month, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has apologized to the Cherokee Nation for publicizing a DNA test that shows she has distant Native American ancestors, tribal officials confirmed to the Tulsa World late Thursday. Officials didn’t explain exactly how Warren extended the apology, only that she has ‘reached out’ to the tribe in recent days.
“’We are encouraged by this dialogue and understanding that being a Cherokee Nation tribal citizen is rooted in centuries of culture and laws not through DNA tests,’ said Julie Hubbard, the tribe’s executive director of communications. ‘We are encouraged by her action and hope that the slurs and mockery of tribal citizens and Indian history and heritage will now come to an end,'”
“…The Cherokee Nation described Warren’s DNA test at the time as ‘inappropriate and wrong.’
“‘It makes a mockery out of DNA tests and its legitimate uses while also dishonoring legitimate tribal governments and their citizens, whose ancestors are well documented and whose heritage is proven,’ Cherokee Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. said last year. ‘Senator Warren is undermining tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage.'”
Added Legal Insurrection:
“Ever since her 2012 Senate campaign, Warren has attempted to shift the conversation away from her Native American controversy. The problem is two-fold.
“First, Warren falsely claimed to be Native American for employment purposes when she was climbing the law professor ladder to Harvard. Second, Warren rolled out a DNA test in October 2018 which showed her to be as little as 1/1024th Native American by DNA profile, and more important, offended and enraged actual Native Americans who do not use or accept DNA tests as a measure.
“From the description in Tulsa World, it appears that Warren has not apologized for claiming to be Native American for employment purposes, only for the DNA test…This illustrates, once again, that that Warren’s Native American problem is not going away, It continues to percolate under the surface even when not dominating the news, just like Hillary’s emails.”
