RNC requests disciplinary action against Warren over Native American heritage claims
The head of the Republican National Committee (RNC) wrote Wednesday to the State Bar of Texas seeking disciplinary action against Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for identifying herself as American Indian on her registration card decades ago.
Ronna Romney McDaniel called that a misrepresentation and wrote to the state bar’s chief disciplinary counsel to argue the senator had failed to correct her registration card from 1986, and therefore violated the state’s requirements that applicants have “good moral character and fitness.”
“Attorney Warren is now apologizing for misrepresenting herself as an ‘American Indian’ or Native American throughout her career,” McDaniel wrote in a request made public by the RNC.
“It has now been thirty-three (33) years since she made this representation to the Texas Bar and has never made an attempt to correct her registration card. Therefore it is clear that Attorney Warren lacked the ‘Good Moral Character’ required for admission to the Texas Bar and should be disciplined for her three (3) decades of untruthfulness,” the request added.
{mosads}Warren’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
McDaniel’s letter underscores efforts from the GOP to seize on Warren’s claims of Native American heritage to undermine her 2020 presidential bid.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Warren wrote “American Indian” in the “Race” category on her 1986 registration card for the State Bar of Texas.
The Post reported that there’s no indication Warren had anything to gain by listing herself as “American Indian” on the card, as the data was used for statistical purposes only.
The registration card is the latest example of Warren’s past claims of having a Native American heritage, an issue that has dogged her as she explores a presidential bid.
In a brief interview with the Post, Warren said she was sorry that she has identified herself as a Native American.
“She is sorry that she was not more mindful of this earlier in her career,” Kristen Orthman, a Warren campaign spokeswoman, added.
Warren has sought to get out in front of criticism of her claims of Native American ancestry by releasing the results of a DNA test in October that showed “strong evidence” she had Native American ancestry.
The DNA results showed that Warren likely has a Native American ancestor from between six and 10 generations ago.
Warren was widely criticized for having taken the test, including from President Trump, who often derides Warren with the nickname “Pocahontas,” a term widely seen as being racially insensitive.