Biden administration tells Herschel Walker, Mehmet Oz to resign from council, or be removed

Both Republican Senate candidates were appointed to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition by Donald Trump.
Joe Biden delivers his second State of the Union address, Mar. 1, 2022

President Joe Biden has asked Republican Senate candidates Herschel Walker and Mehmet Oz to resign their respective positions on a presidential council, or face removal.

Oz, who is a Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania, said on Wednesday that the administration sent him a letter asking him to resign from the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition. The letter said Oz needed to resign or he would be removed from the council at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

"It’s sad that he would politicize such an important issue like health. The doctor he should ask to resign is Dr. Fauci, for a multitude of obvious reasons," wrote Oz as the caption to the video that showed the administration's letter. 

CNN later reported that a similar letter was sent to Walker, who is running as a Republican in Georgia.

The White House says it is the administration's policy not to allow those running for federal office sit on presidential boards. Both candidates were nominated to the board by former President Trump. 

CNN's report says that those sitting on the  Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition are considered special government employees and are therefore barred from partisan elections under the Hatch Act.

"Clearly, Joe Biden can’t be around anyone who doesn’t completely fall in line with his fear-mongering authoritarian one-size-fits-all COVID handling. I am proud of my service and will not resign," said Oz.