Newsom Files Civil Rights Complaint Over Dr. Oz Video/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ California Gov. Gavin Newsom has filed a civil rights complaint against CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, accusing him of making discriminatory statements against Armenian Americans in a hospice fraud video. The feud adds to Newsom’s ongoing clashes with the Trump administration. Oz, a Trump appointee, claimed Armenian groups were linked to large-scale Medicare fraud in Los Angeles.
Newsom-Oz Hospice Fraud Feud Quick Looks
- Newsom files federal civil rights complaint against Dr. Oz.
- Oz accused of targeting Armenian community in CMS video.
- CMS video implies Armenian ties to $3.5B healthcare fraud.
- Complaint says Oz’s statements caused business harm and fear.
- Oz identifies Armenian script, calls out “Russian Armenian mafia.”
- Video shot in Los Angeles’ Van Nuys neighborhood.
- Historic tension exists between Turkey and Armenia.
- Newsom: California already cracked down on hospice fraud.
- Feud fuels broader Newsom-Trump political rivalry.
- CMS and Oz declined to respond to complaint.
Deep Look
Newsom Files Civil Rights Complaint Against Dr. Oz Over Armenian Hospice Fraud Claims
NEW YORK — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has filed a civil rights complaint against Dr. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), escalating his ongoing feud with the Trump administration. The complaint alleges that Oz made discriminatory and racially charged remarks in a video accusing members of Los Angeles’ Armenian community of orchestrating large-scale healthcare fraud.
The video, posted earlier this week, shows Dr. Oz walking through Van Nuys, a Los Angeles neighborhood with a large Armenian population. In the video, Oz claims that a four-block radius includes 42 hospices—an unusually high number—and that some of them are involved in a $3.5 billion fraud scheme. He specifically attributes much of the alleged fraud to the “Russian Armenian mafia”, while standing in front of a building that houses an Armenian bakery.
“You notice the lettering and language behind me is of that dialect,” Oz says in the video, referring to the Armenian signage, as the camera pans over the bakery storefront.
Gov. Newsom’s office responded by filing a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, accusing Oz of making baseless and discriminatory claims. According to the complaint, the remarks may discourage Armenian Americans from seeking legitimate hospice or home care services and have already led to reduced foot traffic at the bakery featured in the video.
“Dr. Oz spewed baseless and racially charged allegations that have caused real-world harm,” the governor’s office said in its filing. Newsom also challenged Oz’s assertion that California has ignored hospice fraud, stating that the state had revoked over 280 hospice licenses and imposed a moratorium on new licenses starting in 2022.
Rising Political Tensions Between Newsom and Trump
The clash is the latest in a growing list of disputes between Newsom, a Democrat widely seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, and the Republican Trump administration. Newsom has repeatedly pushed back against Trump-era policies, including the federal deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles and the administration’s attempts to block California’s gas-powered car ban.
In this case, Newsom is pushing back against what he sees as racial scapegoating and political theater, while Oz’s video fits into a broader Trump administration narrative targeting alleged fraud within immigrant communities.
Dr. Oz, a former television personality and surgeon whose parents immigrated from Turkey, did not provide concrete evidence to support the allegations in the video. Neither Oz nor CMS officials have responded publicly to the civil rights complaint or media inquiries.
International Tensions and Historical Context
The video also stirred controversy because of the sensitive historical relationship between Armenia and Turkey. The two countries have no formal diplomatic ties and have been at odds since the 1990s over a range of issues, including the Armenian Genocide and Turkey’s close alliance with Azerbaijan. Although a 2023 agreement simplified visa procedures between the two countries, the relationship remains deeply strained.
Given that Dr. Oz is of Turkish descent and highlighted Armenian signage while discussing organized crime, critics accused him of exploiting ethnic tensions for political purposes.
Pattern of Targeting Immigrant Communities
The controversy surrounding Oz’s video follows similar federal campaigns targeting fraud in immigrant neighborhoods. Most notably, accusations of daycare-related fraud in Minneapolis’ Somali community led to aggressive federal crackdowns, large-scale immigration raids, and even two fatalities during enforcement operations this month.
Such incidents have raised concerns among civil rights groups that the Trump administration is using fraud prevention as a pretext to target ethnic minorities and immigrant communities.
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