Giuliani to Reporter: 'I'm More of a Jew' Than George Soros

Landing an interview with the president's lawyer over drinks results in quite the chat as Olivia Nuzzi can now attest, as her conversation with Rudy Giuliani for New York magazine got controversial even before they got to their destination. During the car ride to NYC's Mark Hotel, Giuliani spoke about his involvement with indicted Russian associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, rumors about his use of drugs and alcohol, and, in what's now attracting headlines, his take on Hungarian-born philanthropist and Holocaust survivor George Soros, who the Washington Post notes "has long been featured in conspiracy theories about Jews controlling the world and media." Giuliani told Nuzzi that Soros "controlled" ex-Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, as well as other ambassadors and FBI agents.

When Nuzzi told him he sounded "crazy," he pushed back. "Don't tell me I'm anti-Semitic if I oppose him," said Giuliani, who's Roman Catholic. "Soros is hardly a Jew. I'm more of a Jew than Soros is. ... He doesn't belong to a synagogue, he doesn't support Israel, he's an enemy of Israel. He's elected eight anarchist DAs in the United States. He's a horrible human being." When asked by NBC News if his comments were a joke, Giuliani texted back: "I'm more Jewish than half my friends." Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, meanwhile, tweeted an explainer about the anti-Semitism behind such Soros theories. Giuliani didn't appreciate the article Nuzzi wrote based on their conversation. Nuzzi tweeted that the ex-NYC mayor called to "yell at me" after he read part of the story. He also told Nuzzi he felt the story was "unfair." Read what Giuliani's upset about here. (More Rudy Giuliani stories.)