Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of the Emmy-award winning "Dr. Oz Show," was brought to Capitol Hill and "made an example of" on Tuesday by a grandstanding congressional panel despite having done nothing outside the bounds of the law.
"We didn't call this hearing to beat up on you. We did call this hearing to talk about a real crisis in consumer protection, and you can either be part of the police here, or you can be part of the problem," said Missouri's Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill,
according to The Associated Press. "And we just hope that you will do a better job of being part of the police."
"I came here because I want to be part of the solution not part of the problem," Dr. Oz responded, alluding to the fact that he was there voluntarily.
Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll
McCaskill then took it upon herself to scold Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, taking specific issue with a 2012 episode of his show in which he called green coffee bean extract a "magic weight loss cure for every body type."
Just weeks later, a Florida-based operation began marketing a dietary supplement called Pure Green Coffee, using clips of Oz's show to market their product. The Federal Trade Commission just last month sued the company behind Pure Green Coffee, charging them with making false claims and deceiving customers.
Oz has never had any association with the company or product, yet he was summoned to the Senate panel nonetheless.
He stressed this during the hearing, saying he has a policy of not endorsing any health supplements or receiving money from the sale of supplements of any kind.
"If you see my name, face or show in any type of ad, email or other circumstance," Oz testified, "it's illegal."
Speaking to the show itself, he told Senator McCaskill, "I actually do personally believe in the items I talk about on the show. I passionately study them. I recognize that oftentimes they don’t have the scientific muster to present as fact. Nevertheless, I would give my audience the same advice I give my family, and I have given my family these products."
Urgent: Assess Your Heart Attack Risk in Minutes. Click Here.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.