We don’t really expect the MSM to give much oxygen to the news that the Cherokee Nation has issued an absolutely blistering statement in response to Elizabeth Warren’s DNA test results. As usual, Jake Tapper is a notable exception.
This afternoon, he tweeted the Cherokee Nation’s statement in its entirety:
Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr.:
"A DNA test is useless to determine tribal citizenship. Current DNA tests do not even distinguish whether a person’s ancestors were indigenous to North or South America…" 1/
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 15, 2018
2/ "Sovereign tribal nations set their own legal requirements for citizenship, and while DNA tests can be used to determine lineage, such as paternity to an individual, it is not evidence for tribal affiliation."
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 15, 2018
3/"Using a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong. It makes a mockery out of DNA tests…"
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 15, 2018
4/"…and its legitimate uses while also dishonoring legitimate tribal governments and their citizens, whose ancestors are well documented and whose heritage is proven. Senator Warren is undermining tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage."
-FIN-— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 15, 2018
And now, he’s getting an earful from Warren’s tribe of vociferous defenders:
Come for the statement from the tribe, stay for the replies raging at Tapper for reporting on a story that Warren's hapless PR team unilaterally brought up today. https://t.co/e8JvUAYm7D
— Cuffy (@CuffyMeh) October 15, 2018
Here’s a taste of the blowback Tapper’s getting for communicating the Cherokee Nation’s feelings on Warren’s attempt to appropriate their culture:
Jake, she never claimed tribal citizenship.
There's no "other side" on the results of a DNA test. It just is.
— Andrew Brennan (@andbrnn) October 15, 2018
I believe Sen Warren took the test to prove that there is native american DNA in her family. She is NOT requesting tribal affiliation.
Native Americans do not widley participate in DNA testing, so the test used others who came across the land bridge and migrated further south.— ? BeaWyatt ? (@BVWyatt) October 15, 2018
Sorry but she was not doing it to insult Native Americans for whom she does a lot of work but to prove a point against a racist
— Patricia allen (@Eamon0303) October 15, 2018
Here's the video-
If Jake Tapper wasn't a genuinely dumb newsreader straight out of "Anchorman" he might have noticed in @SenWarren's video she says she isn't claiming tribal citizenship-
All she claimed is her DNA proves Native American ancestry.https://t.co/J1CJdtmNJL
— This platform sucks (@IHateJackDorsey) October 15, 2018
Except that’s not what she claimed. She claimed her parents were oppressed because her mother was part-Cherokee and part-Delaware:
Here’s a video of Elizabeth Warren saying her parents were “oppressed” because her mom was “Cherokee Indian”
She’s 1/1024 Native American. pic.twitter.com/PnS3Zq6qDU
— Caleb SkHull ??? (@CalebJHull) October 15, 2018
But we digress. Back to the outrage train:
Where was Chuck Hoskin Jr when Trump was torturing Senator Warren to prove her ancestry with a DNA test?
— BEG (@BEGertz) October 15, 2018
“Torturing.”
Are we really going there? This is so insignificant with everything else going on.
— Vote Blue (@Sullivanandkids) October 15, 2018
Sometimes I wonder where your journalistic priorities are.
— C.Taylor.Voter (@TheClaudeTaylor) October 15, 2018
Yeah, they should be focused on climate change and destroying Brett Kavanaugh’s reputation.
Why are you guys doing this? There are so many more serious issues right now instead of vilifying another female.
— Darling Nikki™ (@nickkifu84) October 15, 2018
Can we talk about kids in cages and the destruction of "Rule of Law" for rich white men, Or the fact there is an openly partisan Judge on the Supreme Court,
— PunkRockPoddle (@PunkRockPoddle) October 15, 2018
You guys are REALLY going in on this story a week after a pretty crazy climate change report AND a story about Trump committing decades of tax fraud. Do better, honestly. It's not that hard.
— Mnml Living (@mnmliving) October 15, 2018
Yep I’m done following you Tapper, there are more pressing concerns than reporting on Warren showing she has a genetic link to NAs and then saying that doesn’t give her tribal links.
— Benjamas (@BenjamasM) October 15, 2018
Covering the deep and pressing news.
— CK (@HRCDemocrat) October 15, 2018
Considering how many people Warren may have screwed over with her lies, and considering how she falsely claimed Native American ancestry to advance her career and make it to the U.S. Senate, we’d say this is indeed pretty deep and pressing news, CK.
Or does the truth just not matter when it’s inconvenient?
WHO CARES!!! Why is this even a thing?
— JC (@jenco88) October 15, 2018
What is wrong with you? She explained this same point in her video. You are making it sound like we didn't know this.
— Shannon Kelly (@skelly1313) October 15, 2018
She already said she wasn’t claiming any tribal affiliation! She has never claimed that. What is WRONG WITH YOU??
— Maureen #NovemberIsComing (@MLGinFLA) October 15, 2018
Some people really can’t handle the truth.