Texas Senator Campaigns Off Of Warren Native Ancestry Flap

AUSTIN, TEXAS — U.S. Sen. John Cornyn appears to be fundraising off of the controversy surrounding a senatorial colleague's past claims of now-debunked Native American ancestry.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, has embarked on an apology of sorts ever since a Washington Post report revealed she falsely claimed Native American ancestry in applying to the State Bar of Texas some 30 years ago. Political pundits see the gaffe as potentially derailing her presidential aspirations for which Warren already had launched an official presidential exploratory committee.

CNN has since learned that Cornyn is now capitalizing on the gaffe to bolster his own re-election aspirations. The news network posted a mailing sent to Cornyn supporters under the guise of inflicting further punitive measure on Warren for the false ancestry claims.

"Did you see the news?" Corny's missive to supporters begins. "The Republican Committee just filed a grievance with the State Bar of Texas against Elizabeth Warren after it was discovered that she lied about her race on her Texas Bar registration card."

The Texas senator then directs supporters to add their grievance against Warren, providing a link to register their names. "As a former attorney general of Texas, I can tell you one thing, friend: We should be able to expect the truth from those tasked with seeking justice. Elizabeth Warren has consistently misrepresented herself as a Native American throughout her entire career, when in reality she has no right to do so."

The controversy over Warren's claims was sparked this week after the Washington Post obtained a copy of Warrent bar registration card dating back three decades. In it, she claimed "American Indian" ancestry in registering her credentials to the bar association while a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

“This was about 30 years ago,” Warren told the Post when confronted with the findings. She explained that, as a girl growing up in neighboring Oklahoma, she heard family stories that led her to believe she had Native American ancestry. "But that said, there really is an important distinction of tribal citizenship,” she told the newspaper.

Even before the bar registration card came to light, Donald Trump has delighted in nicknaming Warren as "Pocahontas" when mocking her while speaking to his supporters. The latest proof debunking Warren's claims threaten to heighten his mockery but has also yielded criticism across the political spectrum.

To be sure, the image of the 1986 bar registration card has now been widely distributed (it's all over social media), and is being used by conservative outlets to denounce Warren further.

But in Austin, many were taken by surprise to learn of Warren's past Texas residency, particularly given her deep Massachusetts ties. Who knew? The card lists an address of 727 E. 26th St., smack dab in the heart of Central Austin.

Here's the scoop, according to her Wikipedia entry: Warren and her husband moved to Houston years ago, where her husband was employed by IBM. She enrolled in the University of Houston before graduating with a bachelor of science degree in speech pathology and audiology. She later taught at several law schools after earning a law degree from Rutgers University in New Jersey, including the University of Texas at Austin, according to the entry.

Patch, too, was curious about those Texas roots. Of particular interest was the address listed on the old bar registration card, just blocks away from the Patch Austin bureau. Thinking it might be the former headquarters for the State Bar of Texas, Patch reached out to the group for enlightenment.

"The address you are referring to on the registration card is Elizabeth Warren’s stated office at the time," Amy Starnes, public information director for the State Bar of Texas, wrote to Patch in an emailed response. "Her home address and date of birth are redacted pursuant to state law. The State Bar of Texas address is 1414 Colorado St."

A visit to Google Earth later revealed the address to be that of the University of Texas School of Law.

Mystery solved.

Given his Texas representation, Cornyn also has a local office at 221 W. 6th St. According to the Texas Tribune, Corny already has amassed nearly $6 million ready for his Texas re-election campaign. He's served as the senior U.S. senator from Texas since 2002.

Get Patch's Daily Newsletters and Real Time Alerts

>>> Photo of John Cornyn via U.S. Senate