(NewsReady.com) – On March 20, Dr. Mehmet Oz revealed that President Joe Biden’s administration demanded he resign from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition. The Republican refused. Now, the administration has formally removed him from the council.
The firing came after Oz accused Biden of politicizing health. In a formal statement responding to the president’s demand that he resign, the longtime television host said he would consider himself a member of the council until he was officially terminated – which came about a week later. On Wednesday, March 30, Jonathan Tamari, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s national politics writer, posted a tweet saying he’d just received word the White House had formally fired Oz.
Inbox: Mehmet Oz says he has now been formally fired from the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition – a week after the original threat and demand for his resignation from the Biden admin.
— Jonathan Tamari (@JonathanTamari) March 30, 2022
Although Oz believes the firing might be political in nature, others say his position on the council would have violated the Hatch Act because he’s running for the Senate. The 1939 law prohibits government employees from running for office. The doctor is considered a special government employee, and some believe that prohibits him from remaining employed by the government while running for political office. However, in the letter in which he refused to resign, Oz said he doesn’t think the law applies to him because he falls into a special category.
My response to President Biden’s political games and his attempt to force my resignation from the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. pic.twitter.com/IYxkBFnKON
— Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) March 26, 2022
Whether or not the Hatch Act applies to Oz is unclear, but the point is moot since he is no longer employed by the federal government.
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