Elizabeth Warren by David Shankbone

Staffers for Senator Scott Brown were caught on tape making Native American ‘war whoops’ and making ‘tomahawk chops’ during a rally supporting the Senator being held in Boston. The video ended up on YouTube and shows Brown staffers holding campaign signs near the Erie Pub while making the gestures.

The staffers are likely attacking Elizabeth Warren’s claims of Cherokee and Delaware heritage. The attacks have been labeled as bordering on racism.

Among the staffers who have been identified are Deputy Chief of Staff Greg Casey, Constituent Service Counsel Jack Richard, State Director Jerry McDermott, special assistant Jennifer Franks and GOP operative Brad Garrett.

Brown stated when he was asked about the video “It is certainly something that I don’t 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.”

Brown has been trying to make Warren’s heritage a central focus of his campaign despite the lack of any interest in the issue. Warren’s mother told her that she is part Cherokee and part Delaware, and that her parents were forced elope because her father’s family was not happy about her mother’s heritage.