The Biden administration on Wednesday threatened to take away Mehmet Oz and Herschel Walker from a federal advisory committee in the event that they did not resign, setting the stage for a public struggle with two high-profile Senate GOP candidates.
The celeb physician and former soccer star had been every despatched a letter Wednesday asking them to resign by the top of the day, warning that failure to step down would lead to termination, a White House official informed NBC News. Oz and Walker had been each reappointed to two-year phrases on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition by former President Donald Trump in December 2020.
The Biden administration doesn’t allow candidates for federal workplace to serve on boards and commissions, the White House official stated.
Oz entered Pennsylvania’s Senate race in November, and Walker introduced his candidacy in August for a Senate seat in Georgia.
In a video posted to his Twitter account Wednesday, Oz insisted he wouldn’t resign from the advisory submit.
“I am beyond grateful to President Trump for appointing me to this very prestigious and important position. I am also grateful to my colleagues on the committee and council, and the amazing accomplishments we were able to achieve. I’ve got no intentions, my friends, of resigning. None,” he stated within the video.
“If President Biden wants to politicize health, he’ll have to fire me. Let Americans see how truly petty and political he truly is,” Oz added.
NBC News has reached out to Walker’s marketing campaign for remark.
Earlier on Wednesday, the White House introduced plans to title chef José Andrés and WNBA participant Elena Delle Donne as co-chairs of the presidential council the place Walker has been serving as chair and Oz has been a council member.
In a assertion on Twitter, Donne stated she was honored by the appointment and to serve “alongside someone as generous, kind, and talented” as Andrés.
“I look forward to building awareness around the best ways to take care of our minds and bodies,” she wrote.
Oz and Walker aren’t the primary advisory panel members requested to step down by the Biden administration.
In September, former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and former White House finances director Russ Vought had been requested to resign from their positions on advisory boards. The transfer sparked lawsuits from Spicer and Vought.
Kristen Welker contributed.