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NEW YORK, UNITED STATES – SEPTEMBER 22: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) talks with famous Turkish-American doctor Mehmet Oz (L) during the dinner given in his honor by the deceased Turkish-American businessman Ahmet Ertegun’s wife Mica Ertegun in New York, United States on September 22, 2014. Photo by Kayhan Ozer\/Anadolu Agency\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
by David Boyajian TV personality Dr. Mehmet Cengiz Oz is the Republican candidate for U.S. senator in Pennsylvania.\u00a0 <\/span>He could become the first senator to hold dual citizenship, notably that of Turkey and America.<\/span><\/p>\n Which country does Oz owe his allegiance to?\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s what journalists and others have justifiably been asking.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s an important question, particularly as Turkey remains a rogue<\/span><\/a> NATO member and unapologetically repressive<\/span><\/a> and corrupt<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Moreover, Ankara has long supported<\/span><\/a> international terrorist organizations such as ISIS.<\/span><\/p>\n Oz and Turkish Terrorism\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Ahmet S. Yayla was Turkey\u2019s counterterrorism chief from 2010-2013.\u00a0 <\/span>He acknowledged<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in 2020 that \u201cTurkey was a central hub for … over 50,000 ISIS foreign fighters, and the\u00a0main source of ISIS logistical materials [including] IEDs [improvised explosive devices], making Turkey and ISIS practically allies.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Terrorism expert\/State Department adviser Dr. David L. Phillips<\/span><\/a> directs Columbia University\u2019s Peace-building and Human Rights Program.\u00a0 <\/span>In\u00a0Turkey: A State Sponsor of Terrorism?<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(2021), Phillips showed that if a \u201cnon-NATO country behaved like Turkey, it would warrant designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Has Oz ever forthrightly <\/i>condemned his country\u2019s terrorism, repression, or corruption?\u00a0 <\/span>Seemingly not.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Does Oz even care<\/i> that Turkey sponsors ISIS and other terrorist organizations<\/i>?\u00a0 <\/span>I find no evidence of that.<\/span><\/p>\n Take his January 10, 2022 Washington Examiner<\/i> op-ed.\u00a0 <\/span>He expressed his \u201cdeep concerns about many of its [Turkey\u2019s] authoritarian domestic policies and harmful foreign policies.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Which<\/i> \u201cpolicies,\u201d exactly<\/i>?\u00a0 <\/span>He didn\u2019t say.\u00a0 <\/span>I asked his campaign for examples.\u00a0 <\/span>It hasn\u2019t replied.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Moreover, Oz\u2019s alleged \u201cconcerns,\u201d noted journalist Benjamin Baird, appeared only after<\/i> the latter\u2019s stinging, detailed, expos\u00e9<\/span><\/a><\/span> of the doctor\u2019s \u201cmany entanglements with Turkey\u2019s government\u201d (National Review, <\/i>December 23, 2021).<\/span><\/p>\n Americans, said Baird in June, can rightly \u201cquestion Oz\u2019s loyalty and wonder why he wishes to prolong his allegiance to an oppressive authoritarian state.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n John Fetterman, Oz\u2019s Democratic opponent, has failed to slam Oz on the above points, particularly his rival\u2019s apparent indifference to Ankara\u2019s support of terrorism.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Oz even claims he\u2019s \u201cnever been politically involved in Turkey in any capacity\u201d and doesn\u2019t<\/span><\/a> \u201creally have a relationship with the leadership there [in Turkey].\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>Oh, is that so?<\/span><\/p>\n President Erdogan is Oz\u2019s \u201cLeader\u201d<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n In a Turkish TV interview, the doctor said this after meeting President Erdogan<\/span><\/a>: \u201cI met with our <\/i>leader in Turkey <\/i><\/b>[emphasis added].\u00a0 <\/span>There is the question of how I can help Turkey as a representative <\/b>[emphasis added].\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Oz served two months in the Turkish army and has extensive real estate holdings in Turkey. They include a $2 million dormitory leased at no cost<\/i> to the regime\u2019s Education Ministry. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n When Oz announced his candidacy in 2021, Turkey\u2019s U.S. Ambassador Hasan Murat Mercan immediately telephoned his congratulations.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The mega-millionaire candidate, incidentally, switched his voting address from his New Jersey mansion to his in-laws\u2019 Pennsylvania home only in 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n Oz claims to maintain his Turkish citizenship only because his mother lives in Istanbul and has Alzheimer\u2019s disease.\u00a0 <\/span>Yet exiled Turkish journalist Abdullah Bozkurt points out that Oz could easily acquire a Turkish \u201cBlue Card,\u201d which confers most citizenship privileges.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In March, Oz stated that as a dual citizen senator he would forego<\/span><\/a> asking for certain American security clearances.\u00a0 <\/span>Now, though, he swears he\u2019ll drop his Turkish citizenship \u2014 but only if elected.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Mike Pompeo, President Trump\u2019s Secretary of State, has questioned<\/span><\/a> why Oz had \u201cthe time and energy to vote in a [2018] Turkish election\u201d but not in New Jersey\u2019s 2018 primary.\u00a0 <\/span>The candidate, added Pompeo, must detail the “scope and depth” of his relationship to Turkey because they raise \u201cnational security concerns.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>He hasn\u2019t done so.<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, probably because Trump is absurdly<\/span><\/a> pro-Turkish, he endorsed Oz.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Doctor and Mass Murder<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n In 2019, U.S. Senate Resolution 150 passed 100\u20130.\u00a0 <\/span>It recognized the genocides of \u201cArmenians, Greeks, Assyrians \u2026 and other Christians\u201d committed by Ottoman and post-Ottoman Turkey from 1915\u20131923. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Queried about the Armenian Genocide, Oz\u2019s campaign shot back with this disingenuous generalization<\/span><\/a>: Our candidate \u201copposes genocide and the murder of innocent people in all forms \u2026 the evils of World War I should be commemorated.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Of course, few people publicly favor<\/i> genocide, murder, and evil.\u00a0 <\/span>Oz\u2019s evasive non-answer places him again on Turkey side and at odds with the U.S. Senate.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The true intensity of the Oz\u2013Turkish love affair is known to few Pennsylvania voters.<\/span><\/p>\n The Oz<\/b>\u2013Turkish Love Affair<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Oz has been a consultant and publicist for Turkish Airlines, 49% owned by the Turkish government<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n He was once elected<\/span><\/a> to the High Advisory Council of the Istanbul-based World Turkish Business Council (DTiK).\u00a0 <\/span>The latter is affiliated<\/span><\/a> with Turkey\u2019s Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEiK), an arm<\/span><\/a> of President Erdogan\u2019s regime. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Oz spoke<\/span><\/a> at DTiK\u2019s 2019 conference in NY City.\u00a0 <\/span>It was co-hosted by Gunay Evinch.<\/span><\/p>\n Ankara hired<\/span><\/a> Evinch\u2019s law firm, Saltzman & Evinch, to collect intel on certain of Turkey\u2019s critics in America.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Evinch co-chairs the Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC<\/span><\/a>) with Halil Mutlu, Erdogan\u2019s cousin.\u00a0 <\/span>In America, Mutlu represents<\/span><\/a> Erdogan\u2019s Islamist AKP party.<\/span><\/p>\n During a TASC fundraiser in 2019, Oz<\/span><\/a> sat beside Murat Guzel, the event\u2019s host and the subject of FBI<\/span><\/a> financial investigations<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n At a 2019 Turkish parade in Brooklyn, NY, Oz and Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul embraced<\/span><\/a> each other.\u00a0 <\/span>In 2018, the U.S. Treasury Department penalized<\/span><\/a> Gul for Ankara\u2019s unjust detention of Andrew Brunson, an American Christian pastor.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Oz offers lifestyle programming on the BiP communications platform.\u00a0 <\/span>BiP is owned by the Turkish Wealth Fund<\/span><\/a>, headed by Erdogan himself.<\/span><\/p>\n In 2022, Enes Kanter Freedom, the NBA basketball star, former Turkish citizen, and Erdogan critic, tweeted<\/span><\/a>:\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/i><\/b><\/span>People in Pennsylvania needs [sic] to understand that [Dr. Oz] is a Foreign Agent and he works for Dictator [Erdogan].\u00a0 <\/span>Ask yourself, why would a Turkish citizen, who lives in Jersey and works in New York City would want to be the Senator from Pennsylvania [emphases added].\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Nice Guys Finish Last<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n In May\u2019s GOP primary<\/i>, Oz beat David McCormick by just 951 votes out of 1.3 million. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Had McCormick used the points above (some of which I gave to his campaign and another GOP contender, Kathy Barnette) to hammer Oz, he would have won.<\/span><\/p>\n If John Fetterman lacks the stomach to expose the entire<\/i> Oz \u2013Turkish love affair, particularly Ankara\u2019s support of ISIS, he may lose too \u2014 and will deserve it.<\/span><\/p>\n David Boyajian\u2019s main foreign policy focus is the Caucasus.\u00a0 <\/span>His work can be found <\/i><\/b>here<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a> (<\/i><\/b>https:\/\/www.armeniapedia.org\/wiki\/David_Boyajian<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a>).<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n #\u00a0 <\/span>#\u00a0 <\/span>#<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=140352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140352\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=140352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=140352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=140352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/span>October 24, 2022<\/span><\/p>\n