Newsom Files Civil Rights Complaint Against CMS Chief Dr. Mehmet Oz
Newsom asked HHS on Jan. 29 to probe Mehmet Oz's Jan. 27 video alleging $3.5 billion in hospice fraud linked to Van Nuys businesses.
Overview
Gov. Gavin Newsom filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Jan. 29 alleging Mehmet Oz's Jan. 27 video made "baseless and racially charged" claims about Armenian Americans, Newsom's office said.
Newsom's Jan. 29 letter warned that "false public statements" by a federal official risk chilling participation in Medicare and Medi-Cal programs and cited Los Angeles County's large Armenian population, David Sapp wrote, Newsom's office said.
Mehmet Oz defended his video in an X post and sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a Jan. 27 letter requesting detailed Medi-Cal oversight information and a response within 21 days, Oz said.
Movses Bislamyan, owner of the bakery shown in Oz's footage, reported a roughly 30% drop in customer traffic after the Jan. 27 post, he told local news outlets.
Newsom asked HHS on Jan. 29 to investigate potential Title VI violations of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, his letter said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as an official and community rebuke of Dr. Oz by foregrounding Newsom’s civil-rights complaint, prioritizing critical voices (governor’s office, Armenian groups, local politicians), and contextualizing historical sensitivities and community harm. Editorial choices emphasize discrimination risk while giving less weight to Oz’s fraud-claim assertions.