Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren issued an apology Tuesday for “furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and the harm that resulted” after the Washington Post discovered that she identified herself as “American Indian” on an ID card in 1986.
The Post obtained the document, a registration card for the State Bar in Texas, through an open records request.
WATCH: Elizabeth Warren offers apology after report says she wrote ‘American Indian’ on Texas bar registration
Under race, the space is marked “American Indian.”
An unnamed Warren aide speaking to CNN didn’t dispute that the card was legitimate, nor did the aide challenge that the card contained Warren’s handwriting.
READ MORE: Elizabeth Warren apologizes to Cherokee Nation for DNA test
The Post report emerged just days after Warren issued an apology to the Cherokee Nation for taking a DNA test in order to prove her Indigenous heritage.
Cherokee Nation spokesperson Julie Hubbard said Warren reached out to the tribe and apologized, and said it was “encouraged by this dialogue and understanding that being a Cherokee Nation tribal citizen is rooted in centuries of culture and laws, not through DNA tests.”
WATCH: Elizabeth Warren apologizes to Cherokee Nation for DNA test
Warren, who has formed an exploratory committee toward seeking a run for the Democratic nomination for president, took the test after U.S. President Donald Trump mocked her over having claimed Indigenous ancestry, even calling her “Pocahontas” on numerous occasions.
The test showed that Warren has an Indigenous segment in her DNA, but her ancestry may stretch back as far as 10 generations.
READ MORE: Elizabeth Warren, to counter Trump’s ‘Pocahontas’ taunt, reveals DNA test results
The ID card was significant, the Post reported, because it ended any doubt that Warren had claimed Indigenous ancestry herself, instead of, say, an employee or aide doing it.
Political rivals had alleged that she used her alleged Indigenous identity in order to boost her career.
WATCH: Dec. 31, 2018 — Elizabeth Warren avoids question on release of DNA test
Warren was listed as a white woman when the University of Pennsylvania hired her as a law professor, the Boston Globe reported.
Her registered ethnicity was changed to “Native American” in 1989, two years after she came on board, the paper reported.
WATCH: Dec. 31, 2018 — Elizabeth Warren launches exploratory committee in step toward presidential campaign
Warren told the Post that, in apologizing to the Cherokee Nation, she was also addressing having identified herself as Indigenous while working in academia.
- With files from Eric Stober
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