Mehmet Oz, the celebrity doctor chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to oversee the nation’s Medicare and Medicaid programs, has agreed to stop promoting health and wellness products if confirmed by the Senate, according to a report -speaker of the Trump transition.
Likewise, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – who recently raised eyebrows by appearing on his wife’s social media account apparently showering naked in the background as she promoted her line of beauty — also agreed to disclose his finances and submit to a federal ethics review if confirmed as health secretary, spokeswoman Katie Miller said.
“Mr. Kennedy and Dr. Oz plan to divest where appropriate and cooperate fully with the Office of Government Ethics,” Miller told ABC News.
Whether Trump’s nominees planned to follow the traditional ethical rules that have governed Washington policymakers for decades was an open question.
Trump chose several billionaires to lead his cabinet, while Kennedy and Oz promoted wellness companies in new online posts even after being named members of the new administration.
Experts say it’s always possible for any candidate to try to test the limits of ethics rules.
Pennsylvania senatorial candidate Mehmet Oz gestures as he speaks at a campaign rally in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, November 2, 2022.
Ryan Collerd/AFP via Getty Images, FILES
Although many requirements are spelled out in the law, the Trump Justice Department would be responsible for enforcing those rules. Trump would also ultimately be in charge of the federal ethics office after his inauguration and would be responsible for pursuing or authorizing any disciplinary or corrective action among members of his cabinet.
Still, the transition’s promise to follow ethics rules is an important first step, said Delaney Marsco, ethics director of the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center.
“It is one of the most fundamental commitments not to commit a criminal violation of a conflict of interest” by accepting a government position, Marsco said.
“The price of having all this power is that you have to use it to serve the public. And part of that deal is that you can’t have financial conflicts of interest that might cloud your judgment,” he said. she added.
Ethics laws require office holders to either divest from investments that pose a conflict of interest or recuse themselves from making decisions related to those investments.
Separate federal regulations impose standards of conduct that generally prohibit government officials from promoting products online, which could be considered a type of federal endorsement.
Five days after Oz was named head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid – a federal agency that oversees federal health insurance for 160 million Americans and regulates private insurers – he took to social media to promote iHerb, an online retailer that sells vitamins. and supplements.
“Thanksgiving is a perfect excuse to practice gratitude, which also happens to be a proven way to reduce stress. You can also reduce stress with adaptogens like ashwagandha from a trusted source like iHerb. Happy Thanksgiving!” Oz wrote about X, with a similar video message posted to his personal Instagram account.
Last month, Kennedy published a similar post promoting an online fitness game called BoxBollen, shortly after Trump named him secretary of Health and Human Services.
“The perfect Christmas present!” Kennedy said in a video playing the game and wearing the game’s headband.
Kennedy quickly deleted his post.
Miller said Kennedy had already canceled his promotional contract, while Oz planned to end his relationship with iHerb to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.
Former Republican presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. listens during a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, at Desert Diamond Arena, Aug. 23, 2024, in Glendale , in Arizona.
Rebecca Noble/Getty Images
Oz also has no ongoing contractual deals with weight-loss drugs, which he has promoted in the past on his syndicated television show.
Separately, Oz’s regular posts promoting iHerb prompted calls this week from the liberal consumer watchdog group Public Citizen for a Federal Trade Commission investigation. FTC rules require online influencers to clearly state in their posts whether they are paid to promote products.
The FTC declined to say whether it would consider such a request. There is no record of past actions against Oz by the FTC.
What’s less clear is how federal ethics rules might apply to the company owned by Kennedy’s wife, Cheryl Hines, that sells home and body products.
Marsco, of the Campaign Legal Center, said spouses are generally not forced to leave their job or business because their partner was hired by the U.S. government. However, government officials are required to recuse themselves from making decisions that could impact their spouse’s employment and should still divest themselves of financial assets that conflict with their work.
Those details should be worked out with the ethics office and enforced by the president, she said. Under the law, the couple could transfer their financial interests in the company to Hines’ adult daughter while he remains in office.
Marsco said these requirements would not go into effect until after Trump takes office and they are officially appointed.
“Assuming they follow through on what they said, that is, they’re going to cooperate fully, divest and follow all conflict of interest laws and rules, then it’s frankly what is expected of people in their position,” she said. said.