Weeks before the Pennsylvania Republican primary, a fresh photo has emerged of Dr. Mehmet Oz, a U.S. Senate candidate with dual U.S.-Turkish citizenship, that undermines his campaign promise that he has “never been politically involved” in Turkey in any capacity.
In the photo, Trump-backed Oz votes in the last Turkish elections in 2018. The photo was shared on the Facebook page of the Turkish consulate in Manhattan.
Confirming the authenticity of the information, Oz’s spokeswoman, Brittany Yanick, told ABC News that “voting in an election is very different from actively engaging in the political work of the Turkish government, which Dr. Oz has never been involved in.”
“There is no security issue,” she added, claiming he voted for Muharrem Ince, who unsuccessfully tried to overthrow Turkish President Recep Tayyep Erdogan.
According to Yanick, Oz did not plan to vote ahead of time, but did so during a visit to the consulate, where he discussed “humanitarian work for Syrian refugees in Turkey.”
However, research conducted by Republican strategist Matt Wolking raises questions about Oz’s connections with Erdogan.
June 13, 2018: Oz votes in the Turkish elections at the Consulate General of Turkey in New York
September 27, 2018: Oz sits with President Erdogan and his wife Emine during the 9th Turkey Investment Conference hosted by the Turkey-US Business Council (TAIK) in New York#Pasleep pic.twitter.com/M0GD7Wiast
— Matt Wolking (@MattWolking) May 4, 2022
Oz certainly sounded like an Erodgan supporter in July 2013:
“I met him a few years ago… he is an extremely important leader… he has personally cared for the poor in the city. Thanks to Islam, it improves the lives of citizens… Erdogan’s Türkiye has become a model of democracy.” #PAsleep pic.twitter.com/mGaCLF07Fw
— Matt Wolking (@MattWolking) May 4, 2022
In 2016, Mehmet Oz founded Jungo TV with Turkish billionaire oligarch Ahmet Calik https://t.co/jbaAGayRtU
Calik is the owner of Calik Holding and a close ally of Erdogan. Erdogan’s son-in-law became CEO of Calik Holding in 2007.
— Matt Wolking (@MattWolking) May 4, 2022
The newly revealed photo also raises questions about his “dual loyalty.”
Elected officials are not subject to the same level of scrutiny as civilians seeking security clearances to perform sensitive government work; after taking the oath, legislators gain access to classified information unless the executive branch denies them certain information.
But according to Kel McClanahan, executive director of National Security Counselors, a public interest law firm, the civilian background check process can also “provide a framework for analyzing whether a person is trustworthy or not.” For McClanahan, voting in another country’s election would set off a “giant, flashing red light.”
Born and raised in Ohio, Oz said he maintains dual U.S.-Turkish citizenship in order to care for his mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, in Turkey. He also served in the Turkish army for 60 days in the early 1980s – reportedly to maintain Turkish citizenship – and has real estate interests in Turkey, as well as signing an agreement with the country’s national airline, Turkish Airlines.
“Any one of them would be enough to torpedo [security] permit,” McClanahan said. “Bottom line, I wouldn’t put much odds on this person getting a permit anywhere.”
However, not all national security experts see Oz’s dual citizenship and the 2018 vote as a deal breaker.
Steve Aftergood, a senior analyst for the Federation of American Scientists, said that because Oz has been clear about his ties to Turkey, his dual citizenship itself is more of a political problem for him than a national security threat.
“The fact that [Oz] he has made no effort to hide the fact that dual citizenship weighs in his favor,” Aftergood said. “Voters will have the opportunity to decide whether this applies to them or not.”
Pennsylvania’s primary elections will be held on May 17.
