Dr. Mehmet Oz and Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman blasted each other on social media on Wednesday over personal finances.
The Republican Oz, a former TV talk show host and heart surgeon, accused Fetterman, his Democratic rival in the Pennsylvania Senate race, of mooching off his parents’ money until he was nearly 50 years old. Oz’s barb comes as Fetterman has latched on to a report alleging that the celebrity doctor lied about owning two houses when he actually owns 10.
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“I purchased my houses with MY money. You lived off your parents until you were almost 50. Regular people don’t mooch off their parents when they’re 50. Get off the couch John!” Oz tweeted on Wednesday.
I purchased my houses with MY money. You lived off your parents until you were almost 50. Regular people don’t mooch off their parents when they’re 50. Get off the couch John! https://t.co/4k3RQhi6SQ
— Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) August 17, 2022
Oz’s accusation is in reference to a Philadelphia Inquirer report from earlier this month that revealed Fetterman lived off of his parents’ money from 2006 to 2019, nearly all of his 13 years as mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania. His allowance included a $54,000 payment from his parents in 2015 alone, according to the report. Fetterman also allegedly purchased an industrial-style loft from his sister for $1 after she paid $70,000 for it six years earlier, according to the newspaper.
Fetterman’s criticism of Oz’s wealth and lack of transparency about it stems from a video released on Tuesday in which a Democratic campaign operative asked Oz how many houses he owns.
“Legitimately, I own two houses,” he said in the footage.
However, Fetterman and a report from the Daily Beast, which obtained the operative’s footage, claimed Oz and his wife own 10 houses, with many valued at over $1 million.
“I’ve never spoken to a PA resident who doesn’t know how many houses they have… let alone be off by 8. I can’t tell if he’s trying + failing to sound like a regular person (with ONLY TWO mansions) or if he genuinely has no idea,” Fetterman tweeted of the report this week.
“Someone who doesn’t even know how many homes they own can NOT be trusted to fight for actual Pennsylvanians Dude is completely out of touch + is not one of us,” Fetterman added.
Some Republicans, such as Sen. Tom Cotton (R-WI), echoed Oz’s line of attack against Fetterman.
“John Fetterman — a socialist who lived off his mom & dad’s allowance until he joined AARP — is talking about being ‘out of touch,'” Cotton tweeted on Wednesday.
John Fetterman—a socialist who lived off his mom & dad’s allowance until he joined AARP—is talking about being “out of touch.” https://t.co/NpwCJUO6ru
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) August 18, 2022
Fetterman returned to the campaign trail last week following a nearly three-month hiatus after being hospitalized due to a stroke.
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Oz has challenged the lieutenant governor to five moderated debates before the November election, knocking Fetterman for his lengthy absence since his May stroke.
A RealClearPolitics average of polls from June and July showed Fetterman leading Oz in the race by 8.7 percentage points.
