U.S. Senate candidates Dr. Mehmet Oz and Herschel Walker on Wednesday were told to resign from the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition or their positions would be "terminated."
The two men, both named to the council by then-President Donald Trump, received letters from Gautam Raghaven, assistant to President Joe Biden, informing them of Biden's decision.
Oz, one of the nation’s most celebrated physicians, has called for firing Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden's chief medical adviser, and has been a fierce critic of the administration's COVID-19 policies.
In his letter to Oz, dated Wednesday, Raghaven wrote:
On behalf of President Biden, I am writing to you to request your resignationas a Member of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition. Please submit your resignation to me by the close of business today. Should be not receive your resignation, your position with the Council will be terminated effective 6:00 pm tonight.
"It's sad that he would politicize such an important issue like health. The doctor he should ask to resign is Dr. [Anthony] Fauci, for a multitude of obvious reasons,” tweeted Oz, who referenced the president's top medical adviser.
"With that said, I am beyond grateful to President Trump for appointing me to this very prestigious & important position. I am also grateful to my colleagues on the committee & proud of everything we were able to achieve. However, I have no intention of resigning.
"If President Biden wants to politicize health, he will have to fire me. You would think record gas prices, a 40-year inflation high, and the situation in Ukraine would be his highest priorities at the moment,” Oz tweeted Wednesday night.
CNN reported that a White House official said Oz and Walker were in violation of the Biden administration's policy of federal candidates serving on presidential boards.
Oz, a former heart surgeon, is running for an open Senate seat in Pennsylvania.
Walker, a former star NFL running back and Heisman Trophy winner who was council chair, is vying to unseat Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.
Trump reappointed both men to two-year terms in December 2020, shortly before he left office, CNN said.
Trump has been a longtime friend of Oz and has known Walker for almost 30 years.
Celebrity chef Jose Andres and WNBA star Elena Delle Donne, of the Washington Mystics, will replace Oz and Walker on the council, the White House said.
Biden administration last fall removed Trump-appointed people from positions on military service academy boards, including former White House officials Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer, who hosts Newsmax's "Spicer & Co."
"Completely honored by this appointment, especially to co-chair this committee alongside someone as generous, kind, and talented as Chef Jose Andres," Delle Donne tweeted. "Thank you POTUS! I look forward to building awareness around the best ways to take care of our minds and bodies."
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