Liz Cheney on Trump mocking Elizabeth Warren: She’s ‘a laughing stock’

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) on Sunday said it isn’t surprising President Trump would mock Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) over her claims to Native American heritage, because she “has made herself a laughing stock.”

“Look, Elizabeth Warren has made herself a laughing stock. I don’t think anybody should be surprised that that’s been the reaction to her,” Cheney told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Cheney, the House GOP conference chairwoman, made the comment after Jake Tapper asked her about recent tweets by the president, who appeared to compare Warren’s 2020 presidential run to the “Trail of Tears.”{mosads}

“Today Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to by me as Pocahontas, joined the race for President. Will she run as our first Native American presidential candidate, or has she decided that after 32 years, this is not playing so well anymore? See you on the campaign TRAIL, Liz!” Trump tweeted Saturday.

.@jaketapper: “What about the language the President uses and the joking references to genocide against Native Americans?”@RepLizCheney: “Elizabeth Warren has made herself a laughingstock.” https://t.co/hgwicQep8h #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/NJKfAhePMm

— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) February 10, 2019

Trump earned some criticism for the tweet, but Cheney on CNN hammered Warren’s past references to Native American heritage. 

“The notion that anybody of any political party would pretend that they were a member of a tribe or pretend they were Native American and would do it as she seems to have done it in order to get benefits, that is, in my view, the disgrace,” Cheney said.

“I wonder if anybody’s around her is saying, this just isn’t going to work,” she added, suggesting the controversy over Warren’s claims would follow her 2020 campaign.

Warren last week apologized for identifying herself as Native American. 

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

The Washington Post reported for the first time last Tuesday that Warren had in 1986 identified herself as “American Indian” on her registration card for the State Bar of Texas. She had also previously labeled herself Native American as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and at Harvard University.

Cheney said on Sunday that the bar application may be “grounds for disbarment.” 

“One wonders whether or not that’s grounds for disbarment,” she said on CNN. “I’d say it probably is grounds for disbarment.”