By Congressman Markwayne Mullin
The Boston Globe released Senator Elizabeth Warren’s DNA test results this week. The analysis, done by a Stanford University professor, showed that Warren has somewhere between 1/64th and 1/1,024th Native American in her DNA.
In 2014, American Journal of Human Genetics published a study detailing that “European-Americans had genomes that were on average 98.6% European, 0.19% African, and 0.18% Native American.” Senator Warren’s DNA results show she may have as little as 0.09% Native American blood—half of what the average European American has.
As a member of the Cherokee Nation, I am disappointed by Senator Warren’s attempt to prove any kind of Native American heritage in order to advance her political career. What she did is get a liberal university to provide information to convey that her lie is not a lie. The lie has gone far enough and it’s time for her to apologize to the American people and the Cherokee Nation.
Like many Native Americans, my ancestors stopped on the same plot of land my family and I still live on today. Being Cherokee is an important part of my heritage. But Cherokees and all Native Americans don’t just speculate about our past, we know the stories of our ancestors and we pass them on to future generations. Our history and our sovereignty are what bind us together.
In typical Washington, D.C. fashion, Senator Warren doubled down on her lie, rather than admit her mistake. At a time when politics is more divisive than ever, this is exactly what is wrong with the current political environment of Washington, D.C. Americans want to believe in their elected officials and I believe they want to see leaders who can admit when they have made a mistake.
