Politics

‘I Shouldn’t Have Done It’: Elizabeth Warren Apologizes When Confronted About Native American Claims

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Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren apologized when confronted about her past claims of Native American ancestry by a questioner at a Petersborough, New Hampshire town hall on Friday.

The footage was posted on Twitter by Politico reporter Alex Thompson:

“What do I say to my Native American relatives regarding the confusion around the Native American ancestry issue?” the woman asked.

“I grew up in Oklahoma, and my three older brothers and I learned about our family same way most people do, from our mom and from our dad,” the Massachusetts senator replied. “My family is very important to me, and that’s why many years ago I sometimes identified as Native American.”

“Boston Globe did a big investigation about this, gosh what about a year and a half ago, never had anything to do with any job I ever got or any benefit, but even so, I shouldn’t have done it,” she said. “I am not a person of color, I am not a citizen of a tribe, and I have apologized for confusion I’ve caused on tribal citizenship, tribal sovereignty, and for any harm that I’ve caused.” (RELATED: Elizabeth Warren Deletes Tweet Bragging About Native American DNA)

Warren has backed off prior longtime claims of significant Native American ancestry, and even scrubbed video of herself receiving the results of a DNA test showing she had between 1/64th and 1/1024th Native American ancestry. Nevertheless, it’s a topic that has routinely dogged her on the campaign trail. In August, the candidate apologized for her past claims at a Sioux City, Iowa candidate forum.

“Now before I go any further, I want to say this,” Warren said. “Like anyone who’s been honest with themselves, I know that I have made mistakes. I am very 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.”