Mass. gov.: Brown a ‘Bay State birther’ for attacking Warren’s heritage

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The governor of Massachusetts is blasting Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) as a “Bay State Birther” for attacking Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren over her claim of Native American heritage.

“Sen. Brown has turned into a Bay State birther for goodness sake,” Deval Patrick told WCVB’s On the Record. “And it doesn’t have anything to do with solutions to help the people of Massachusetts.”

Some of Brown’s staffers recently mocked Warren’s heritage by shouting “war whoops” and doing the “Tomahawk Chop” at a campaign rally.

Brown initially refused to apologized, but said it was “not something I condone.”

“The real offense is that (Warren) said she was white and then checked the box saying she is Native American, and then she changed her profile in the law directory once she made her tenure,” the senator insisted.

Brown’s statement underscored his recent tactic of attacking Warren on the issue of her heritage. A Brown campaign ad made use of news clips to question Warren’s claims that her mother was part Cherokee and part Delaware Indian, which critics say she exploited for professional gain.

Warren responded with an ad explaining that her mother and father eloped because of disapproval on the part of her father’s family.

Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Bill John Baker has called the actions of Brown’s staffers “downright racist.”

Watch this video clip from WCVB, broadcast Oct. 5, 2012.

(h/t: Politico)