USA TODAY International Edition
Oz, Walker asked to resign from presidential panel
President Joe Biden asked a pair of high- profile Republican Senate candidates to resign from a committee they were appointed to by President Donald Trump.
The White House sent letters to Mehmet Oz and Herschel Walker, telling them they would be fired if they did not resign from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, is running for Senate in Pennsylvania. Walker, a former star running back in the NFL, is a candidate for Senate in Georgia. Both are competing in Republican primary elections in May. Oz and Walker received their appointments to the committee, alongside famed sports figures such as New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and ex- New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera, in December 2020 as Trump was finishing the final days of his term.
In a video posted to his Twitter account Wednesday evening, Oz said Biden would have to fire him rather than expect his resignation, accusing the president of politicizing “such an important issue like health.”
Walker’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The council advises the White House on how to increase sports participation among youth and how to promote healthy and active lifestyles. On Wednesday, the White House announced Biden’s own appointments to the council. WNBA star Elena Delle Donne will serve as co- chair of the council alongside chef and restaurateur José Andrés. In September, the Biden administration acted to remove Trump appointees from the boards of U. S. military academies.