Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has removed the infamous DNA test video from her campaign website nearly 10 months after it drew scorn from critics across the political spectrum.
A campaign aide told CNN on Sunday that the video would be removed in addition to older campaign materials in an effort to update the website with new content. The following day, the video was gone.
The video featured Warren receiving news about her ancestry from geneticist Carlos Bustamante, who says that Warren likely has a Native American ancestor. But Bustamante concludes that Warren’s ancestor may be up to 10 generations removed, according to the report (which has been archived by The Daily Caller).
The report also mentions that Warren originally requested to know whether she had any African American ancestry, which she does not.
On Monday, Warren held a forum to discuss Native American issues with voters in Iowa and again issued a public apology for the way her past actions have harmed others.
“Like anyone who’s being honest with themselves, I know that I have made mistakes,” said Warren, in comments reported by The New York Times. “I am sorry for harm I have caused. I have listened and I have learned a lot, and I am grateful for the many conversations that we’ve had together.”
Representative Deb Haaland (D-NM), a Native American woman who has endorsed Warren, doesn’t believe that the past ancestry claims will phase Warren, the Times notes. “Elizabeth knows she will be attacked, but she’s here to be an unwavering partner in our struggle because that is what a leader does,” she said.
But Mark Trahant, the moderator of the forum, notes that some Native Americans “will never take an apology from her.”
Others outside of the Native American community have also expressed similar skepticism about Warren’s alleged past attempt to capitalize on her ancestry. On a popular clip of “The Breakfast Club” podcast uploaded by The Daily Caller, host Charlamagne Tha God told Warren that she was “kinda like the original Rachel Dolezal,” referring to the white former NAACP chapter president who pretended she was African American.
A recent Economist-YouGov poll, however, suggests that Warren’s ancestry debacle may not have such clear consequences for Democratic primary voters. Warren is currently polling at 20%, only 1% behind frontrunner and former Vice President Joe Biden. However, 44% of poll respondents also believe that Warren would “probably lose” an election against President Trump. Only 28% believe that Warren would “probably win.”
