NBA player Enes Freedom does not want the doctor to be in this November due to his ties to Turkey.
The basketball player, whose father was jailed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, does not want Dr. Mehmet Oz in the Pennsylvania Senate due to his ties with Turkey. Freedom has been an outspoken critic of Erdoğan’s leadership for years.00:18/01:41
“People need to understand that Dr. Oz is in Erdoğan’s pocket,” Freedom said to Josh Rogin with the Washington Post. “And whatever Erdoğan wants, that’s what Dr. Oz is going to do. So, if Dr. Oz gets into the Senate, it’s like Erdoğan’s arm will be in the Senate.”
Oz rejected Freedom’s claims to the outlet and insisted he is not concerned about Erdoğan’s opinion of his political positions, including his defense of exiled religious leader Fethullah Gulen and his opposition to Turkey’s purchases of advanced missile systems from Russia.
The National Review compiled a list of Oz’s business dealings with individuals and organizations viewed as loyal to Erdoğan’s regime in December 2021. Oz said his interactions with top Turkish businessmen and political figures in the past were normal for a Turkish American celebrity like him, adding he “didn’t even donate money to these organizations.”
Oz announced his run for the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate race in November 2021. On Wednesday, the latest Trafalgar poll found Oz leading other GOP candidates with 27.4% of voter support.
Freedom, who became a U.S. citizen last year, had initially planned to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference this year, which will be held from Feb. 24-27 in Florida. However, he announced Tuesday he would not attend so he could “figure out this NBA stuff first.”
source: Washington Examiner
