Senate candidate Dr. Oz calls Kathy Barnette’s tweet on Islam “disqualifying”

Pennsylvania Senate candidate Mehmet Oz called a 2015 tweet from Kathy Barnette “reprehensible” in an interview with AP on Saturday, just days before Tuesday’s primary election.

Oz, who would be the country’s first Muslim senator, said Barnette’s tweet, in which she said “[p]edophilia is a Cornerstone of Islam,” is “disqualifying.”

“It’s reprehensible that she would tweet out something that is defamatory to an entire religion,” Oz told AP. “This state was based on religious freedom. I’m proud as a Pennsylvanian to uphold those founding beliefs that every faith has its merits” [Axios].

Earlier in the week, Barnette told NBC News that she did not make the statement, which was still live on her Twitter feed on Saturday.

For months, the race for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat has been an expensive fight between former hedge fund CEO David McCormick and Oz, who have spent millions of dollars attacking each other on television. Each has also faced questions about their ties to Pennsylvania. McCormick grew up in the state, while Oz went to medical school there and was married in Philadelphia.

Oz has won Trump’s endorsement in the Senate contest, although some Trump supporters continue to question his conservative credentials.

When asked to clarify his views on abortion in the Saturday interview, Oz distanced himself from Trump’s new pick for Pennsylvania governor, Doug Mastriano, a conservative who has called abortion “the No. 1 issue.”

Oz described himself as “pro-life,” but said he would prefer an abortion ban in Pennsylvania that would include exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. “There are times when we disagree with other pro-life advocates,” Oz told the AP. “In my case, those disagreements often come about because, as a doctor, I’ve dealt with issues that threaten the life of the mother.”

Oz saved most of his criticism for Barnette, echoing Trump’s concerns that her background hasn’t been properly scrutinized. He lashed out at her previous comments on Islam, noting that she also has a history of anti-gay remarks.

“We know so little,” Oz said. “Every time she answers a question, she raises more questions. But I think it’s disqualifying to make Islamophobic and homophobic comments, not just for the general election, but the Republican primary as well” [CBS News].