Enes Freedom Claims Dr. Oz is in the ‘Pocket’ of Turkish Dictator: ‘Whatever Erdoğan Wants, That’s What Dr. Oz Is Going to Do’
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Television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz stands a very real chance of winning the GOP primary for the Pennsylvania Senate race, writes Josh Rogin of the Washington Post, but Oz’s ties to the Turkish government are drawing criticism, including from NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom.
In an op-ed published on Wednesday, Rogin noted that Senators “often have conflicts of interest, both business and personal,” but the potential “Senator Doctor Oz” would be unique, if elected, as “a senator who has dual citizenship, served in a foreign military and maintains deep ties to the nation of his birth — one where the leader is notorious for punishing those who cross him.”
That Turkish leader is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Freedom has a very personal reason for objecting to his regime: his own father was jailed by Erdoğan for associating with exiled religious leader Fethullah Gulen, who is currently living in Pennsylvania. It’s been overshadowed by his recent commentary on China’s human rights abuses, but Freedom has been a vocal critic of Erdoğan’s government for years. It was a driving force behind his decision to pursue American citizenship and adopt “Freedom” as his new last name.
“People need to understand that Dr. Oz is in Erdoğan’s pocket. And whatever Erdoğan wants, that’s what Dr. Oz is going to do,” Freedom said to Rogin. “So, if Dr. Oz gets into the Senate, it’s like Erdoğan’s arm will be in the Senate.”
The reasons for concern about Oz’s conflicts of interest, according to Rogin, are beyond his dual U.S.-Turkish citizenship. In December, National Review compiled a lengthy list of Oz’s business dealings with individuals and organizations viewed as loyal to the Erdoğan regime.
Oz objected to Freedom’s accusations, telling Rogin that he disagrees with Erdoğan on a number of issues and isn’t worried about appeasing him. As far as his business activities go, Oz framed them as standard for a prominent Turkish-American.
“I hadn’t even really gotten engaged in any of this until I decided to run for the Senate,” said Oz, “and I’d never been politically involved in Turkey in any capacity. I didn’t even donate money to these organizations.”
Rogin characterized that as “not exactly a satisfying answer.” While there is not evidence that Oz is any sort of agent of the Turkish government, and his upcoming required candidate disclosures will shed light on the nature of his business entanglements, concerns remain if he “has business connections that rely on being in the good graces of the government,” as Steven Cook, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, put it.
