Retired CIA director and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has things to say about Trump’s candidate for the Pennsylvania Senate seat.
He spoke to journalists hours before former President Trump’s rally to support Mehmet Oz’s ambition to be a senator. Pompeo noted Oz’s ties to Turkey are a security concern for everybody.
Ties to Turkey
Oz, a long-time New Jersey citizen and celebrity doctor, enjoys dual citizenship.
According to ABC News on Wednesday, he voted in Turkey’s 2018 election. This was broadcast live on the network. Oz previously stated he has never been “in any form” active in Turkish politics.
According to that article, a representative for the Oz campaign verified the claim. The representative also disagreed that participating in Turkish elections constituted involvement in Turkish politics by the Turkish government.
Dr. Mehmet Oz voted in the 2018 Turkish election.
-He is a Turkish citizen.
-He served in the Turkish military.
-He is paid millions by Turkish airlines.
-He attends the Turkish states official ministry.
-He is cozy with the Turkish dictator.He is not fit to be a U.S. Senator.
— Really American 🇺🇸 (@ReallyAmerican1) May 6, 2022
During a rally for Oz in Westmoreland County on Friday, Trump will make his first visit to the state since he left office in January 2021. The event will take place at the county fairgrounds.
His endorsement propelled Oz from the bottom of the polls a month ago.
The Oz campaign is confident Trump’s involvement in this race will have the same effect on him as it did in Ohio for Republican race winner J.D. Vance. He is also expected to attend the rally.
David McCormick, a similar West Point alumnus, received the endorsement of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Leon Panetta, and former Kansas Congressman Ron Johnson.
Pompeo was the featured speaker at a rally for McCormick in Danville, Illinois, two weeks ago.
BREAKING: Fmr Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is holding a press conference this morning outlining national security concerns of @DrOz's relations to the government of Turkey, including security clearance, working for state entities, and voting in Turkish elections
— Ultra Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) May 6, 2022
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in politics, people criticize politicians all of the time for not voting. “This is not the same as that,” he stated emphatically.
“Not only did Oz not participate in the American political process, but he also participated in the Turkish political process. That prompts a slew of conclusions about his priorities in my mind.”
Oz’s Ill Mother
Pompeo stated it is possible everyone is innocent, but it is critical to understand “the scale and depth of Oz’s connection with the Turkish government.”
Pompeo stated he wanted to make it clear his concerns are not about whether or not Oz has committed an illegal act.
Basically, it’s about who is most qualified to be a senator from Pennsylvania, which has been governed by a patriotic American conservative for a long period of time.
It was McCormick, not Pompeo, who was targeted by the Oz campaign in a statement that declared he should be embarrassed over his “pathetic and xenophobic insults.”
Recently, Oz issued a statement expressing, if elected to the U.S. Senate, he intends to renounce his Turkish citizenship and become a US citizen.
He explained he kept his Turkish citizenship until now in order to make it easier to provide for his mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease and lives in the country.
