Group: Mehmet Oz Allegedly Violated Foreign Agent Law with Work for Turkish Airlines

Celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz allegedly violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) over his failure to register for his work with Turkish Airlines, according to an advocacy group.

Since its enactment into law in 1938, FARA mandates certain requisites for foreign agents:

FARA requires certain agents of foreign principals who are engaged in political activities or other activities specified under the statute to make periodic public disclosure of their relationship with the foreign principal, as well as activities, receipts and disbursements in support of those activities. Disclosure of the required information facilitates evaluation by the government and the American people of the activities of such persons in light of their function as foreign agents.

Oz has an endorsement deal with Turkish Airlines, which according to a 2015 FARA filing, is 49.12 percent owned by the Turkish government.

As part of Oz’s endorsement, he has appeared in multiple commercials and projects for the company, including an appearance in a 2018 Super Bowl ad.

“Dr. Oz indisputably serves as public relations counsel, publicity agent, information service employee, or political consultant for Turkish Airlines,” a letter sent from the Armenian National Committee of America to the U.S. Department of Justice said.

The letter highlighted Oz’s participation in Turkish Airlines’ 2017 project “Fly Good Feel Good,” which reportedly was designed to provide “an even more comfortable and healthy travel experience to its passengers.”

More recently, Oz appeared in a four-minute informercial on behalf of Turkish Airlines detailing the company’s coronavirus safety protocols last year.

Oz could face up to $250,000 in fines or 5 years in prison for violating FARA, the organization argues.

The letter continued:

Dr. Oz clearly serves as a foreign agent on behalf of the foreign principal Turkish Airlines. As you are also aware, the penalty for a willful violation of FARA is imprisonment for not more than five years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Certain violations are considered misdemeanors, with penalties of imprisonment of not more than six months, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both. We encourage you to fully investigate this matter.

Brittany Yanick, A spokesperson for Oz, called the letter a “ridiculous” political hit.

Yanick said:

Like many other well-known people, Dr. Oz was in promotional videos for the airline. Other spokespeople for Turkish Airlines included Morgan Freeman and Ben Affleck. Like Dr. Oz, they were not required to register under FARA. This political hit is ridiculous. Individuals and firms working to advance the bona fide commercial interests of a foreign business are not subject to FARA and not required to register. DOJ has repeatedly recognized this longstanding exemption under the law including in several recent advisory opinions.

However, former DOJ official David Laufman, who ran the department’s FARA enforcement division from 2014 to 2018, said he would take steps to investigate the complaint against Oz.

Laufman told the New York Post:

I think it would be appropriate for [the Justice Department] to undertake logical, analytical and investigative steps to determine whether Dr. Oz acted as a public relations counsel or publicity agent in the United States on behalf of Turkish Airlines. If he did, he likely would have an obligation to register unless he qualified for an exemption.

In my experience, a foreign government ownership interest as high as 49.12 percent would contribute to a conclusion by the Justice Department that otherwise registrable work on behalf of that entity in the United States — such as public relations work — likely would not qualify for the [commercial] exemption because the activities would directly promote the public or political interests of the foreign government.

Kaufman said he did not know when an investigation of the matter might be launched, referencing the Pennsylvania election as a possible factor, but reiterated that, in his opinion, it is the prerogative of the Department of Justice to do so.

Oz’s Turkish ties have been a focal point of his congressional campaign for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania after he initially refused to revoke his Turkish citizenship if elected to Congress. However, he later retracted those comments and pledged to revoke his Turkish citizenship if elected.

Most recently, Oz came under fire after resurfaced photos showed he cast a ballot in Turkey’s 2018 presidential campaign.

The voters of Pennsylvania will decide whether his connections to Turkey are a dealbreaker when the state’s Republican Senate primary occurs less than two weeks from now, on May 17.