In hacked emails, Colin Powell calls Trump a ‘national disgrace’, accuses Clinton of hubris
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, in newly leaked emails, criticised both major presidential candidates, calling Donald Trump “a national disgrace” and lamenting Hillary Clinton’s attempt to equate her email practices with his.
The emails were first reported by Buzzfeed News late on Tuesday. Powell, a respected retired general who served under Republican presidential administrations, told BuzzFeed that he does not deny the emails’ authenticity. In a subsequent statement to NBC News, Powell said “the hackers have a lot more” of his emails.
To go on and call him [Trump] an idiot just emboldens him
In the emails, Powell said he stayed relatively quiet during the rise of Trump, the Republican presidential nominee. “To go on and call him an idiot just emboldens him,” Powell said.
To a former aide he writes: “No need to debate it with you now, but Trump is a national disgrace and an international pariah.”
Powell, a Republican, also suggests frustration with the state of the nation’s politics.
“We all need to start voting for America and not our parties,” Powell writes. “Trump is taking on water. He doesn’t have a GOP philosophy or even a Conservative philosophy. We need a revolution and it will begin with the GOP crashing and burning up its current form.”
The emails also include Powell’s thoughts on Clinton’s email woes. He criticised Clinton aides for tying him into the controversy over the Democratic nominee’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. Powell has acknowledged using a commercial email address for some official business. Clinton avoided using the State Department’s email completely, using a private email server.