Israel PM Bennett says Putin apologised over FM Lavrov’s Holocaust remarks

 Asked in an interview about Russian claims that it invaded Ukraine to denazify the country, Lavrov said that Ukraine could still have Nazi elements even though its president Zelenskyy is a Jewish

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he accepted an apology from Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday for controversial remarks about the Holocaust made by Moscow’s top diplomat. The two leaders talked over the phone, after which an Israeli statement said Putin had apologized. However, the Russian statement about the call made no mention of an apology. Instead, it said they emphasized the importance of marking the Nazi defeat in World War II, which Russia celebrates on Monday.

Bennett emerged as a potential mediator between Russia and Ukraine shortly after Moscow’s invasion. But that role was thrown into doubt this week when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made comments about the Holocaust that were deeply offensive to Jews. Asked in an interview with an Italian news channel about Russian claims that it invaded Ukraine to denazify the country, Lavrov said that Ukraine could still have Nazi elements even though its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is Jewish.

In my opinion, Hitler also had Jewish origins, so it doesn’t mean absolutely anything. For some time we have heard from the Jewish people that the biggest antisemites were Jewish, he said, speaking to the station in Russian, dubbed over by an Italian translation. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who has harshly criticized Russia over the invasion, called Lavrov’s statement unforgivable and scandalous and a horrible historical error….Read More

Trump allies Giuliani, Pompeo, Barr drawn deeper into impeachment focus

The rapid-fire developments expanded the potential scope of the House’s inquiry, which began last week after revelations of Trump’s call with Zelensky

Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, his Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr were all drawn deeper into the House impeachment inquiry after new details of the administration’s foreign contacts emerged on Monday.

Three House committees said they had subpoenaed Giuliani for records of his dealings with Ukraine on Donald Trump’s behalf. And Mike Pompeo was among those listening in on a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to a person familiar with the matter. That conversation is central to the impeachment investigation.

Barr has asked Trump to contact “other countries” for help with a probe into the origins of the Justice Department’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said in an email. The prosecutor leading the investigation, U.S. Attorney John Durham, “is gathering information from numerous sources, including a number of foreign countries,” she said.

The New York Times reported that Trump recently asked Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to assist Barr in his probe, and the Washington Post reported that Barr has held meetings overseas with foreign intelligence officials to seek their help….