Warren apologizes ‘for harm that I have caused’ to Native Americans

Sioux City, Iowa — Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts opened her remarks at a Native American presidential forum with a more straightforward version of the apology she has offered in the past for identifying as a Native American for two decades while she was a law professor.

“I want to say this, like anyone who’s been honest with themselves, I know that I have made mistakes,” Warren said. “I am sorry for harm that 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.”

The remarks mark her latest effort to navigate what has been a politically fraught subject dating back to her first run for Senate in 2012. In that race, her Republican opponent criticized her for identifying as a Native American during her career as a law professor.

Warren said she did so because of family stories that she had Cherokee and Delaware ancestry, but critics accused her of lying to advance her prospects, even though there has been no evidence she benefited professionally.

Warren further angered many in the Native American community months before announcing her presidential bid by releasing a DNA test that she said proved she had a distant Native American ancestor. That upset leaders of tribal nations who set their own affiliation rules based on culture and proven heritage, not DNA.

In the past Warren has offered a more legalistic apology. “I am sorry for furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and harm that resulted,” Warren said in a February interview with The Washington Post.

Warren used her appearance at the forum Monday to try to pivot toward policy — she recently released a lengthy proposal about how she would try to help close health, income and wealth disparities in Native American communities. The bulk of her appearance focused on parts of that plan, which would provide tribal leaders far more influence than they now have over federal policy that affects their land.

But the appearance also showed how Warren has been able to build relationships among native activists.