Harvard University’s decision to hire Elizabeth Warren as a law professor in the 1990s was not based on any assertion that she has Native American heritage, according to a report by the Boston Globe.

Warren is now a US senator from Massachusetts and a possible liberal contender for the Democratic presidential nomination. Critics have charged that she has advanced her career with a narrative that she is a distant descendant of Cherokee and Delaware tribes.

Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to Warren as “Pocahontas”, mocking her claims of heritage.

The Globe reported that interviews and documents show the issue was not considered by Harvard Law faculty or those who admitted Warren to law school at Rutgers or to jobs at the University of Houston, the University of Texas and the University of Pennsylvania.



“She was not on the radar screen at all in terms of a racial minority hire,” Randall Kennedy, a law professor who was in charge of recruiting minority candidates to Harvard Law School, told the newspaper. “It was just not an issue. I can’t remember anybody ever mentioning her in this context.”

The Globe reported that it examined hundreds of documents, many never before available, and talked to 31 law school professors from that period at Harvard. All but one said her Native American heritage was not discussed as part of the decision to hire her. One said he was unsure if the issue came up, but if it did, it had no bearing on his vote.

On Sunday, Warren posted to her website documents related to her job and school applications and again asserted that her heritage played no role in her career advancement.

“My family is my family,” she told the Globe. “But my background played no role in my getting hired anywhere.”

Warren, 69, is seeking re-election in November and will face one of three Republicans running in a primary on Tuesday. She has repeatedly said she is not running for president in 2020, but continues to position herself as a national leader in the Democratic party.