White House hopeful Elizabeth Warren has been dogged by controversy over her claim to Native American ancestry (Alex Edelman)

Washington (AFP) – White House candidate Elizabeth Warren listed her race as American Indian on her Texas bar registration card over 30 years ago, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

The revelation is likely to keep alive a controversy over Warren’s claim to Native American ancestry that has dogged the Massachusetts senator’s presidential bid.

The Post said the April 1986 card admitting Warren to the Texas bar is the first written document discovered on which she explicitly listed her race as American Indian.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly mocked Warren over the claim, calling her “Pocahontas” and alleging that she used her assertion of minority status to receive academic and professional benefits.

Warren, 69, took a DNA test last year and released the results. They showed that she had a Native American ancestor in her family six to 10 generations ago.

The Post said Warren had expressed regret for identifying herself as Native American for decades and she apologized last week to the chief of the Cherokee Nation.

“I can’t go back,” Warren told the newspaper. “But I am sorry for furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and harm that resulted.”

In a statement, the Cherokee Nation said Warren had “reached out to us and has apologized to the tribe.”

“We are encouraged by this dialogue and understanding that being a Cherokee Nation tribal citizen is rooted in centuries of culture and laws, not through DNA tests,” it said.

“We are encouraged by her action and hope that the slurs and mockery of tribal citizens and Indian history and heritage will now come to an end.”

Warren is one of a number of high-profile Democrats seeking to take on Trump in 2020.

She is on the party’s left flank and has a reputation as a consumer protection champion and for holding Wall Street accountable.

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