Been Lyin': Documents Reveal Elizabeth Warren Identified as Native American as Far Back as 1986

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Democratic Senator and presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren is going to need a bigger shovel.

Seeming to directly contradict Warren’s long-held claim that she never used her dubious Native American ancestry to gain any professional advantage, The Washington Post reported that the Massachusetts Senator identified herself as “American Indian” when asked to disclose her race.

The response, written in what is believed to be Warren’s handwriting, appears on her Texas bar registration card from 1986.

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Neither Warren nor her office has denied the authenticity of the document, nor have they contested the authenticity of Warren’s handwriting or signature.

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Warren’s shaky ancestry claims first became an issue during her 2012 Senate campaign. Running against former Republican Senator Scott Brown, it was reported that Warren had been listed as a minority in a Harvard Law School faculty directory, a designation Warren maintained she was unaware of and had never asked for. Subsequent stories revealed that Warren had been similarly listed in a faculty directory at the University of Pennsylvania. Warren’s answer mirrored her explanation in response to her appearance in Harvard’s directory.

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Warren’s card from 1986, 26 years before her family history became fodder for campaign mailers, seems to fly in the face of the spirit of her Harvard explanation. Though the Boston Globe agreed that Warren had likely never benefitted from her alleged heritage as a professional, Warren’s credibility rests now upon her efforts to deny her knowledge of her racial distinction.

“I can’t go back,” Warren told the Post. “But I am sorry for furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and harm that resulted.”

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In October of last year, Warren released a five-minute campaign-style video clip dedicated to defending her family’s background. Warren wove footage of Trump mocking her with the nickname “Pocahontas” between testimonials from her family members.

Warren’s reliance upon a DNA test to further prove her Native connection was sharply rejected by the Cherokee Nation, the largest federally recognized tribe, which pointed to legal requirements and cultural connections represented in tribal membership. Though Warren never claimed tribal membership, the blunder was enough for her to apologize to the tribe, seemingly out of the blue, earlier this year.

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Now, she’s sure to have another apology coming.