US Senate

"You’ve been a great, great friend of Israel, none better," Netanyahu told Cotton. "And I know you’re a champion of the Israel-American alliance, which enhances the security of both our countries."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also in the US, having attended the wake of senator Lindsey Graham and met with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Clayton's hearing earlier this month at times erupted into shouting, as Clayton insisted to several Democratic senators that he was not an election denier.

One of the aides said the Senate was also expected to begin voting during Zelensky's visit on a bill to impose sanctions on Russia that was championed by Graham.

Many senators were eager for Clayton to take up the post because they are unhappy with interim director of national intelligence, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, a Trump loyalist.

“I’m still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky, keeping up with intense physical therapy per my doctors’ orders," McConnell said in a statement.

The interaction spotlighted two questions hanging over Michigan’s primaries: To what degree are voters factoring Israel into their decisions, and does pro-Palestinian sentiment cross racial lines?

If approved to be the director of national intelligence, Clayton would fill a role vacated in June when Tulsi Gabbard stepped down after a tenure marked by clashes with congressional Democrats.

While Jackson took several shots during his acceptance address at Sen. Susan Collins, the incumbent Republican he will now face in the general election, he did not mention Israel or AIPAC.

While some Jewish Mainers questioned Jackson’s recent rhetoric on Israel, others said his long record in local government offered some assurances.