Donald Trump in The Guardian (U.K.)

On Foreign Policy: Did Saudis kill journalist? World is a dangerous place

Trump made headlines in November 2018 when he released a bizarre statement defending the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. It included lines such as 'The world is a very dangerous place!' and 'maybe he did and maybe he didn't!'

According to Bolton's book, making headlines was the point. A story about his daughter Ivanka using her personal email for government business was also in the news at the time. After waging war on Hilary Clinton during the 2016 campaign for doing the same thing, Trump need a distraction. 'This will divert from Ivanka,' Trump reportedly said. 'If I read the statement in person, that will take over the Ivanka thing.'

On Principles & Values: OpEd: 1920s law authorizes to get presidential tax returns

If Congress cannot question the people who are making policy, or obtain critical documents, Congress cannot function as a coequal branch of government. If Congress cannot get information about the executive branch, there is no longer any separation of powers, as sanctified in the US constitution. There is only one power--the power of the president to rule as he wishes. Which is what Donald Trump has sought all along.

On Principles & Values: OpEd: Trump aides must testify despite "executive privilege"

Trump is treating Congress with contempt--just as he has treated other democratic institutions that have blocked him. Congress should invoke its inherent power under the constitution to hold any official who refuses a congressional subpoena in contempt.

When President Richard Nixon tried to stop key aides from testifying in the Senate Watergate hearings, in 1973, Senator Sam Ervin, chairman of the Watergate select committee, threatened to jail anyone who refused to appear.

When Nixon tried to block the release of incriminating recordings of his discussions with aides, the supreme court decided that a claim of executive privilege did not protect information pertinent to the investigation of potential crimes.

On Foreign Policy: Nobody was tougher on Russia than me, and they respected us

Independent experts say the report--"No 32-04\vd"--appears to be genuine.

The UK's former ambassador in Moscow said, "There is no sense Russia might have made a mistake by invading Ukraine. There is a good deal of paranoia. They believe the US is responsible for everything."

Trump did not initially respond to a request for comment. Later, his spokesperson, issued a statement: "This is disgusting. It's fake news, just like RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA was fake news. It's just the Radical Left crazies doing whatever they can to demean everybody. It's fiction, and nobody was tougher on Russia than me, including on the pipeline, and sanctions. At the same time we got along with Russia. Russia respected us, China respected us, Iran respected us, North Korea respected us. And the world was a much safer place than it is now with mentally unstable leadership."

On Crime: FactCheck: Central Park 5 exonerated and got $41M settlement

The facts: The 5 boys were tried as adults and actually pleaded not guilty. And the victim, Trisha Meili, although almost killed, was found unconscious in the park, survived and testified in court. All of them were exonerated after a convicted murderer confessed to the crime in 2002. In 2014, they were awarded a $41m settlement.

In 1989, before any of the boys had faced trial, Trump paid a reported $85,000 to take out ads calling for their execution. The [ad included]: "They must serve as examples so that others will think long and hard before committing a crime or an act of violence."

On Immigration: FactCheck: immigrants eating pets is slur from 19th century

People of Haitian descent say these xenophobic attacks are nothing new for their community, and experts say the "dog eater" trope is a fearmongering tactic white politicians have long deployed against immigrants of color, particularly those of Asian descent.

Demonizing immigrants through falsehoods about their diet is a political tactic that originated in the late 19th century. More recently, in 2016, US Senate hopeful Faye Stewart accused Vietnamese refugees of "harvesting" dogs and cats for food.

On Principles & Values: Endorsed by Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard

Gabbard, who served in the military in Iraq, ran for president in the Democratic primary in 2020. She quit the party two years later and has become a fixture at conservative conferences and in rightwing media.

Addressing a National Guard Association conference in Detroit, Michigan, where Trump was speaking, Gabbard said: "This administration has us facing multiple wars on multiple fronts in regions around the world and closer to the brink of nuclear war than we ever have been before. This is one of the main reasons why I’m committed to doing all that I can to send President Trump back to the White House, where he can once again serve us as our commander-in-chief. Because I am confident that his first task will be to do the work to walk us back from the brink of war."

Gabbard represented Hawaii in Congress and is a former vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee.