2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren insisted Monday that her disputed claims of Native American heritage, for which she later apologized, had no role in the advancement of her career.

During a CNN town hall in Jackson, Miss., the Massachusetts Democrat was asked by U.S. Army Reserve Officer Brennan Breeland how she responded to critics who said her handling of questions about her heritage was “tone-deaf, offensive, and indicative of a lack of presidential tact.”

“Well... you know... I grew up in Oklahoma. I learned about my family from my family. And based on that, that’s just kind of who I am and I do the best I can with it,” the senator responded. “You know, there was an investigation, nothing I ever did or my family played any role in any job I ever got.”

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Warren went on to tell Breeland that she had done “38 town halls” in her state last year and another 32 of them since January and observed that people “care a lot about what’s happening in their lives” like housing, education, and health care.

“That’s the kind of reason that I’m in this fight and I’m gonna stay in this fight,” Warren continued. “And, I’ll tell you this; I’m gonna fight it from the heart every inch of the way. I’ll do my best.”

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CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who moderated the town hall, continued without any follow-up questions.

Warren has been on the defense about her previous claims of Native American heritage when seeking law-school work before she was elected senator. Earlier this year she issued an apology for claiming “Indian American” as her race on the Texas State Bar registration card -- and apologized to the Cherokee Nation for releasing results of a DNA test indicating she had Native American ancestry dating back several generations.