Warren tells Trump to pay up after her DNA analysis

BOSTON — Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday released the results of a DNA analysis that she said indicated she has some Native American heritage, a direct rebuttal to President Donald Trump, who has long mocked her ancestral claims and repeatedly referred to her as “Pocahontas.”

The Massachusetts Democrat and potential 2020 presidential contender challenged Trump to make good on his pledge to donate $1 million to charity if she provided proof of Native American heritage, a moment that was caught on video. Trump falsely denied ever making the offer.

The analysis was done by Stanford University professor Carlos D. Bustamante, a prominent expert in the field. He concluded that the great majority of Warren’s ancestry is European but added that the results “strongly support” the existence of a Native American ancestor.

In his report , Bustamante said he analyzed Warren’s sample without knowing the identity of the donor.

He concluded that Warren has a pure Native American ancestor who probably lived six to 10 generations ago, and that it was impossible to determine the individual’s tribal connection.

Warren, who has said her Native American roots were part of “family lore,” also released a video produced by her Senate re-election campaign. In it, she said: “The president likes to call my mom a liar. What do the facts say?”

Bustamante replied: “The facts suggest that you absolutely have Native American ancestry in your pedigree.”

The analysis is not the first evidence of Warren’s heritage.

An 1894 document previously unearthed by the New England Genealogical Society suggested Warren’s great-great-great-grandmother, O.C. Sarah Smith, was at least partially Native American, making the senator Native American. The genealogy group has said it has no conclusive evidence of her ancestry, and a spokesman said Monday it would not comment on the genetic findings.

However, if Warren’s ancestor had been as much as 10 generations removed, it would make that individual a great-great-great-greatgreat-great-great-great grandparent, making her only Native American, according to Blaine Bettinger, a genealogist and author who specializes in DNA evidence.

Warren’s effort to address questions about her ancestry are her latest moves telegraphing a likely presidential run in 2020.

Warren recently said she planned to “take a hard look at running for president” after next month’s election. She currently is running for re-election to the Senate against Republican Geoff Diehl, who co-chaired Trump’s Massachusetts presidential campaign.

Earlier this year, the senator released personnel files seeking to dispute critics who have alleged that the former Harvard Law School professor advanced her law career with a narrative that she is a descendant of Cherokee and Delaware tribes.

In a tweet Monday directed at Trump, Warren said: “Remember saying on (July 5) that you’d give $1M to a charity of my choice if my DNA showed Native American ancestry?” She went on to request that the president send a check to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center.

Trump made that comment at a summer rally in Montana, but when asked about it Monday, Trump said, “I didn’t say that.”