(Politico)
CAITLIN OPRYSKO 08/19/2019 01:39 PM
Sen. Elizabeth Warren apologized Monday to a Native American audience over her handling of past claims of native ancestry, telling a group of tribal leaders that she realized it had been a mistake.
“Now, before I go any further in this I want to say this: Like anyone who's been honest with themselves, I know that I have made mistakes,” Warren, appearing at a forum for presidential candidates, said at the outset of her presentation. “I am sorry for harm I have caused. I have listened and I have learned a lot. And I am grateful for the many conversations that we've had together.”
Warren was widely panned last fall when she promoted the results of a DNA test revealing that she has some native ancestry going back six to 10 generations. Advocates as well as the Cherokee Nation ripped the senator for appearing to appropriate a tribal identity in order to settle a political controversy, namely President Donald Trump derisively referring to Warren as "Pocahontas."
The moniker stems from accusations Warren tried to leverage her native ancestry to gain access to employment privileges afforded to minorities, though an extensive review by the Boston Globe found there was no evidence to support those claims.
The Massachusetts senator initially defended herself by contending that she took the test only to put an end to Trump’s gibes, acknowledging that “DNA & family history has nothing to do with tribal affiliation or citizenship, which is determined only — only — by Tribal Nations.” But in the lead-up to her campaign launch, she privately apologized to tribal leaders.
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