Cherokee Nation calls Elizabeth Warren's DNA test "inappropriate and wrong"
Massachusetts senator and possible presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren released results of a DNA test she says proves she has some Native American heritage. President Trump has mocked Warren's ancestry claims and derisively referred to her as Pocahontas.
The Cherokee Nation has criticized Warren's announcement, saying her use of a DNA test is "useless" for determining tribal citizenship and that using a DNA test to determine connection to any tribal nation is "inappropriate and wrong."
Warren released a campaign-style video that tries to directly address questions about her heritage. It's a controversy that has dogged Warren since she first ran for the Senate six years ago, and this new push is just the latest sign she's already actively preparing to run for president in 2020, reports CBS News correspondent Ed O'Keefe.
Still, President Trump didn't back down from his attacks on Warren Monday, saying, "What's the percentage -- one one-thousandth?"
Warren enlisted a Stanford University DNA researcher for the test. In her video he said, "The facts suggest that you absolutely have a Native American ancestor in your pedigree."
Cherokee Nation responds to release of Senator Warren’s DNA test. pic.twitter.com/UUB8LSvmyo
— CherokeeNation (@CherokeeNation) October 15, 2018
The report suggests Warren has just a trace of Native American heritage, but she first publicly identified as Native American in the 1980s. The controversy has made Warren an irresistible target for the president, who repeatedly has called her Pocahontas.
The biographical video comes after Warren said she would look at running for president, setting her up as an early 2020 opponent for the president, who is already practicing for a match-up.
In July, the president said, "We will say I will give you a million dollars to your favorite charity, paid for by Trump, if you take the test and it shows you're an Indian."
Pocahontas (the bad version), sometimes referred to as Elizabeth Warren, is getting slammed. She took a bogus DNA test and it showed that she may be 1/1024, far less than the average American. Now Cherokee Nation denies her, “DNA test is useless.” Even they don’t want her. Phony!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2018
Warren wants the president to make good on that bet, tweeting he should "send the check" to charity. But Mr. Trump imposed some conditions Monday.
"I'll only do it if I can test her personally, and that will not be something I will enjoy doing either," he said.
Warren criticized the president's response with a storm of 28 tweets Monday, calling him "a bully that scares easy."