MSNBC's Joy Reid narrated in a new report about Masschusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D.) that questions about the senator's controversial claims of Native American heritage "will likely dog her" in a White House bid.
Warren has rejected calls to take a DNA test to prove her claim of Cherokee and Delaware Indian ancestry, which first came to light during her successful 2012 U.S. Senate run. She does not have documented proof of such heritage.
"Every time somebody wants to talk about my family or attack or throw out some kind of racial slur, I'm going to use it as a chance to lift up more awareness of what's happening in native communities across this country," Warren said during an interview with MSNBC.
"It's a question that will likely dog her, whether in her campaign for re-election to her Senate seat, or something even bigger," Reid said.
Reid, in saying "something even bigger," referred to a possible White House bid for Warren, who is one of President Donald Trump's strongest critics on Capitol Hill. Trump derisively calls her "Pocahontas" to mock her ancestry claims.
Warren was the subject of MSNBC's special "Headliners" series on Sunday night, which spotlights significant national figures. "Headliners" subjects last month included former FBI Director James Comey and Russia investigation special counsel Robert Mueller.
Warren often tells the story of her parents meeting as teenagers in Oklahoma and falling in love, only to have her father's family object to the union because Warren's mother was "part Native American."
Warren has repeatedly claimed she has no plans to run for president in 2020 and is focused on her re-election bid to the U.S. Senate in 2018. However, she repeatedly dodged "Meet The Press" host Chuck Todd's request in March to commit to serve out a six-year term if re-elected in November.
Reid came under fire last month after she attempted to explain away homophobic posts by making unsubstantiated claims that her former blog was hacked. MSNBC did not respond to requests for comment on whether she would be disciplined, but her show "AM Joy" has continued to air.