"She tweets out things about me, too," retorted Clinton, when asked how she interpreted a recent tweet from the Massachusetts senator in praise of rival Bernie Sanders. Added Clinton: "She's got an agenda, and I respect her for having that agenda."
Democrats on the left, who adore Warren's agenda, dearly wanted her to run for president. She didn't, but via Sanders, her ideological soul mate, her progressive ideals are now driving the Democratic primary race. Recent polling in Iowa and New Hampshire puts Sanders and Clinton in a virtual tie. Especially in those contests, winning Warren's heart would be a big prize.
For Sanders, validation from the queen of the left would make him its king. For Clinton, it would send a message that the party's pragmatic choice is good enough for progressives, too.
Meanwhile, her tweets are must-read tea leaves.
Asked about her relationship with Warren during a meeting with Globe editors and writers on Sunday, Clinton said she and Warren "always had a lot more in common than not." She cited her support for the consumer protection bureau Warren lobbied to create after the 2008 crash, and noted Warren's praise for a recent Clinton op-ed published in The New York Times.
Indeed, Warren's supportive tweet for Clinton's musings about "How I'd Rein in Wall Street" left some Sanders backers fuming. Tweeted one to Warren: "You are supporting a corporate hack."
After delivering a blistering critique of Wall Street, Sanders won his own laudatory tweet from Warren, with the senator saying she is glad "@Bernie Sanders is out there fighting to hold big banks accountable, make our economy safer &stop the GOP from rigging the system."
When that roiled political insiders, Warren issued this follow-up tweet: "I'm glad that ALL the Dem candidates for president — @HillaryClinton, @BernieSanders & @MartinO'Malley — are fighting for Wall St reform."
Warren and Clinton have a complicated history. As recounted by journalist Bill Moyers, it's a story of Warren pushing Clinton left — and then watching her pedal in the opposite direction when politically necessary.
For example, during an interview with Moyers in 2004, Warren, then a Harvard Law professor, talked about a meeting she had in the late 1990s with Clinton, who was then first lady. Clinton called Warren in to talk about a piece of bankruptcy legislation that Warren opposed. Research done by Warren showed it would negatively affect women and children. After the two women met, the Clinton administration reversed its position, Warren said, and President Clinton ultimately vetoed the measure.
In her autobiography, "Living History," Clinton recounted her opposition to the legislation. "I recognized that changes in the bankruptcy law would have profound implications for women and families, " wrote Clinton — omitting Warren's role. According to Warren, Clinton supported the same bankruptcy measure she previously opposed, once she was elected senator from New York. Why? "As Senator Clinton, the pressures are very different," Warren told Moyers.
In her book, Clinton wrote, "In the Senate, one of the first measures I passed increased protections for women and children."
That's what makes the left ever-suspicious of Clinton — and what makes any supportive tweet from Warren all the more precious.
Joan Vennochi can be reached at vennochi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @Joan_Vennochi.