In an effort to shame Russia for its support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government and its alleged use of chemical weapons in a recent attack, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer falsely claimed that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler "didn't even sink to using chemical weapons" during World War II. In fact, millions of Jews were slaughtered during the Holocaust by the Nazi regime, which used the deadly pesticide gas Zyklon B. Spicer's remarks prompted widespread outrage and condemnation, forcing him to apologise.