CNN host David Axelrod confronted Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Saturday over her claims to Native American ancestry. Axelrod noted during an interview on his show, “The Axe Files,” that Warren only has a minuscule amount of Native American DNA and demanded to know why the 2020 hopeful ever identified herself as an American Indian. A recent report from The Washington Post indicated that Warren wrote that she was “American Indian” on her registration form for the Texas Bar exam in the 1980s. (RELATED: Elizabeth Warren Has Been Caught Calling Herself ‘American Indian’ Again) “The question that I’ve never understood is why? Why did you in 1986 fill out on your — I guess it was your law license or something — an exam application, ‘American Indian’? Why did you check those boxes?” Axelrod questioned. “Because obviously that’s a very small part of your lineage, you know, 1/32nd or something. So why did you do it?” WATCH: Warren responded with an excuse she has used repeatedly, which is that she believed stories about her heritage told by her family members. “I grew up in Oklahoma, I learned about my family the same way most people learn about their family,” Warren asserted. “Based on what I learned growing up, and the fact that I love my family, decades ago I sometimes identified as Native American.” Warren denied that identifying as Native American was ever a tactic to gain favor with potential employers, despite the fact that Harvard Law School once touted her as a Native American professor. A Fordham Law Review article from 1997 identified Warren as Harvard Law’s “first woman of color.” “But the universities kind of fudged and used you for their own purposes,” Axelrod answered. “It never had anything to do with my getting a job,” Warren said. “Even so, I shouldn’t have done it. I’m not a person of color, I am not a citizen of a tribe.” Axelrod also asked if Warren made a mistake by releasing a video about her DNA test results, to which Warren said, “I can’t go back — all I can do is go forward … I think I have [learned from it].” Follow Amber on Twitter<doc-sep>CNN host David Axelrod pressed Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenOn The Money: Biden administration launches trade dispute against Canadian dairy industry | Warren urges Biden to replace Fed's Quarles Warren urges Biden to replace Fed's Quarles in testy exchange Warren offers bill to increase IRS budget to .5 billion MORE (D-Mass.) this weekend over her decision to claim Native American heritage on her Texas law license, asking why the 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful would "check those boxes" on her application. "The question I've never understood is: Why? Why did you in 1986 fill out on your law license, or something, Native American? Why did you check those boxes? Because obviously that's a very small part of your lineage, 1/32nd or something. So why did you do it?" Axelrod, a former Obama senior adviser, asked on "The Axe Files." ADVERTISEMENT "Based on what I learned growing up, and the fact that I love my family, decades ago I sometimes identified as Native American," Warren replied. "Even so, I shouldn't have done it. I'm not a person of color. I am not a citizen of a tribe," Warren later explained. "What I try to do is to be a good friend to Native Americans and that's why, for example, I have a housing bill that fully funds housing on tribal reservations." Last month, Warren apologized for identifying herself as Native American for approximately two decades after a Washington Post report included a copy of her signed Texas law license application, which included the claim. When Axelrod asked Warren if she regretted releasing a DNA test that showed she was 1/1024th Native American, the senator replied, "I can't go back. All I can do is look forward." Warren last month said she released the test to get ahead of attacks by President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE over her claims to Native American heritage. Trump has frequently referred to Warren as “Pocahontas" on Twitter and during rallies.<doc-sep>Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) reportedly told an Iowa journalist Saturday that she thinks Vice President Mike Pence is not a “decent” man. FYI, the reporter followed up: "Do you think there’s anybody in the Trump Administration that you would see as decent?" Elizabeth Warren's response: pic.twitter.com/h81Bfo8ub4 — Iowa Starting Line (@IAStartingLine) March 2, 2019 “I’m sorry. I followed Pence’s history on LGBTQ Americans, and I don’t think that is a decent position,” Warren told a reporter with the Iowa Starting Line. “I disagree.” After the reporter asked her if she thought Pence was “decent,” Warren simply said “no.” The reporter pressed Warren further, asking if there was anyone decent within the Trump administration before she replied that it is the “most corrupt administration in living memory.” “It’s a tough question,” Warren said. “The Mueller investigation has already produced 34 indictments or guilty pleas out of people in the president’s inner circle. Ten Cabinet officials have left, four with huge scandals and others with threat of scandal at the door. This is the most corrupt administration in living memory. That’s why we gotta be in this fight.” The Massachusetts senator and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate voiced her opinion on Pence not too long after former Vice President Joe Biden received pushback for his comments about Pence being a “decent guy.” Biden, who made the remarks about Pence at the University of Nebraska-Omaha on Thursday, quickly walked back his statement on Twitter and stated there was “nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the Vice President.” You’re right, Cynthia. I was making a point in a foreign policy context, that under normal circumstances a Vice President wouldn’t be given a silent reaction on the world stage. But there is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the Vice President. — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 28, 2019 Pence, who was Indiana’s governor from 2013-2017 before he became vice president, has been criticized by many in the LGBTQ community for signing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) into law in 2015. Pence said at the time that the law would limit government intervention infringing upon individuals’ religious liberty, but some LGBTQ activists viewed the bill as infringing upon the rights of LGBTQ individuals.<doc-sep>
Massachusetts senator and 2020 candidate Elizabeth Warren reportedly took a swipe at the current administration Saturday, calling it "the most corrupt administration in living memory." Referring to the ongoing Mueller probe into alleged electoral interference by Russia, Warren made the claim during a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, according to local politics website Iowa Starting Line. FYI, the reporter followed up: "Do you think there’s anybody in the Trump Administration that you would see as decent?" Elizabeth Warren's response: pic.twitter.com/h81Bfo8ub4 — Iowa Starting Line (@IAStartingLine) March 2, 2019 "The Mueller investigation has already produced 34 indictments or guilty pleas out of people in the president's inner circle. Ten cabinet officials have left, four with huge scandals and others with the threat of scandal at the door," she said, when pressed on the "decency" of the Trump Administration. "This is the most corrupt administration in living memory. That's why we gotta be in this fight." According to a January tally by Vox, the probe has produced indictments or guilty pleas from 34 people, as well as three Russian companies. That total includes 26 targeted Russian nationals, six former Trump advisors and two others. Warren made the comments in response to questions about Joe Biden's recent statement that Vice President Mike Pence is "a decent man." Biden, who made the remark at a recent Forum in Global Leadership at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, per The Hill, was swiftly criticized by LGBT activists. Former Sex and the City actress and New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon called out the former Vice President on Twitter, writing: "[Joe Biden], you've just called America's most anti-LGBT elected leader "a decent guy." In response, Biden said he was speaking only in terms of foreign policy. "There is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the Vice President," he tweeted. You’re right, Cynthia. I was making a point in a foreign policy context, that under normal circumstances a Vice President wouldn’t be given a silent reaction on the world stage. But there is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the Vice President. — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 28, 2019 When asked if she felt Pence was a "decent man" on Saturday, Warren responded "no." "I followed Pence's history on LGBTQ Americans, and I don't think that is a decent position," she said. Saturday morning's campaign event—which saw a crowd of 200, according to Iowa Starting Line—was the latest stop for the 2020 Democratic candidate. The senator threw her hat into the ring on New Year's Eve, when she announced she had formed an exploratory committee. A campaign stop in Georgia made headlines when Warren was heckled by a protestor over her claims to Native American ancestry. Reportedly carrying a sign which read "1/2020," a man shouted "Why did you lie" at the event. President Donald Trump—who frequently calls Warren "Pocahontas"—has previously shared the logo on Twitter, which refers to a DNA test which showed the senator likely has some Native American ancestry. Considered something of a firebrand, Warren's campaign focuses on ending "corruption" in Washington, rebuilding the middle class and creating "a foreign policy for all," among other progressive goals.