Trump’s visit comes with the latest public opinion survey indicating Oz holding a razor-thin edge over two of his top primary rivals in the GOP battle to replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in a race that could eventually determine if Republicans win back the Senate majority in November’s midterm elections.
Yet hours ahead of the rally at the Westmoreland County Fairgrounds in the small city of Greensburg, southeast of Pittsburgh, the matter of Oz’s connections to Turkey were firmly back in the political spotlight.
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The rally comes after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – a Trump ally who served as CIA director and America’s top diplomat during the former president’s administration, though who’s backed and campaigned for fellow West Point graduate David McCormick, Oz’s top rival for the nomination – raised national security clearance questions over Oz’s multiple Turkish connections.
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Pompeo, a Fox News contributor, repeatedly emphasized on a call with reporters that there are "things that we don’t know about his connection to the Turkish government" and that Oz "owes the people of Pennsylvania an explanation" because voters "need to understand the scope and depth of his relationship with the Turkish government."
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Oz, the cardiac surgeon, author and well-known celebrity physician who until the launch of his Senate campaign late last year was host of TV’s popular "Dr. Oz Show," has faced questions over his dual citizenship with Turkey since announcing his candidacy. He’s repeatedly explained that he’s maintained his dual citizenship to take care of his mother, who resides in Istanbul and suffers from Alzheimer’s.
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He’s further stressed throughout his Senate campaign that his service in the Turkish military – for 60 days throughout the 1980s – was done to maintain his dual citizenship.
Oz, who further has an endorsement deal with Turkey’s half-government-owned national airline, came under attack by McCormick at a debate on Wednesday, which is likely the last showdown between the two top contenders for the GOP nomination before the May 17 primary.
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McCormick, a former hedge fund executive, Gulf War combat veteran and Treasury Department official in former President George W. Bush's administration, announced that Oz was "compromised" for serving in the Turkish military.
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The latest flashpoint is a photograph of Oz voting in Turkey’s 2018 presidential election. The photo, first reported by ABC News, comes from Turkey’s New York City consulate’s Facebook page, where the Oz campaign confirms their candidate voted. Yet Oz’s team denied that his casting of a ballot amounted to "political involvement" with Turkey.