Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) accused President Donald Trump's Medicare and Medicaid administrator on Wednesday of inciting racial bigotry against Armenian-owned businesses in his state.
"Our office is reviewing reports that Dr. Mehmet Oz targeted the Armenian American community in Southern California recently — making racially charged claims of fraud outside Armenian-owned businesses, including a popular bakery," Newsom's press office account stated on X. "Given the historic sensitivities involved, we are taking these allegations seriously. Any and all acts of hate have no place in California."
The reference to "historic sensitivities," noted the New York Post, appeared to be a suggestion Oz's Turkish heritage played a role in singling out Armenians, as the two countries have a painful history of conflict that includes a genocide the Turkish government denies to this day.
This comes after Oz, a former thoracic surgeon and controversial daytime talk show host infamous for pushing unproven dietary supplements as miracle cures, alleges that the hospice care system in California is riddled with Medicare fraud, possibly linked to the Armenian mob.
It echoes efforts by the Trump administration to single out the Somalian diaspora community in Minneapolis for a benefits fraud scheme that had already been prosecuted years ago by the Biden administration.
Newsom disputed Oz's claims, asserting that, in this case as well, the fraud in question was already being rooted out by California officials long before Trump administration officials moved to swoop in and take credit.
"California cracked down years ago — Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law BANNING all new hospice licenses in 2021 to curb fraud. What’s Trump doing? Making it easier for scammers to steal taxpayer dollars!" Newsom wrote, linking to reports about how the Trump administration blocked a federal crackdown on questionable hospice care payments last year.