BOSTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is working to defuse an issue that has dogged her for years — her claims of Native American heritage — ahead of a possible run for president in 2020.
Last month, the Massachusetts Democrat addressed the National Congress of American Indians, casting her family’s story in the larger context of the challenges facing native peoples.
She’s also met with tribal leaders and backed legislation supported by Native American activists.
But critics continue to question whether she used her claim of Native American heritage to get a leg up early in her career — something she denies.
President Donald Trump has continued to taunt Warren, referring to her as “Pocahontas,” a bigger vulnerability could come if a Democratic rival for the 2020 nomination echoed those concerns.