(Politico)
CAITLIN OPRYSKO 02/01/2019 02:08 PM EST
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has apologized to the Cherokee Nation for her widely panned decision to promote DNA test results showing traces of native ancestry, the tribe said Friday.
“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, executive director of communications for the Cherokee Nation.
The Massachusetts Democrat, who is expected to officially announce her candidacy for president in the coming weeks, received a torrent of criticism from both the left and the right when she said in the closing month of last fall’s midterm elections that a DNA test revealed that she has some Cherokee ancestry going back six to 10 generations.
The disclosure came with an elaborate digital and social media rollout, and advocates as well as the Cherokee Nation ripped the senator for appearing to appropriate a tribal identity in order to settle a political controversy.
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