Ever since the beginning of the 2016 race for the White House, the question has been asked: How does former Secretary of State Colin Powell feel about the takeover of the Republican Party by Donald Trump? Powell has been a supporter of President Obama over the years, but would he weigh in on Trump and Hillary Clinton?
Now Powell has indeed entered the debate over the 2016 campaign, though it wasn’t exactly the way he had planned.
BuzzFeed News obtained personal emails written by Powell, and in one Powell calls Trump “a national disgrace.” He also refers to the GOP nominee as an “international pariah.”
Additionally, in an email dated August 21, Powell also commented on Trump’s repeated claims that President Obama was not born in the United States:
“Yup, the whole birther movement was racist. That’s what the 99% believe. When Trump couldn’t keep that up he said he also wanted to see if the certificate noted that he was a Muslim.”
Powell, asked for comment on the validity of the emails, would only say:
“I have no further comment. I’m not denying it.”
The emails were sent to former Powell aide Emily Miller, who is now employed as a journalist. And in another posting Powell told Miller:
“(Trump) Is in the process of destroying himself, no need for Dems to attack him. [Speaker of the House] Paul Ryan is calibrating his position again.”
The former Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also had this to say about ousted Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, who was accused of sexual harassment and is now reportedly advising Trump as he prepares for the upcoming debates:
“And Ailes as an advisor wont heal women, don’t you think?”
These emails give us a new insight into what Powell thinks about the direction the Republicans have taken, but one burning question does remain: Will Powell formally endorse Hillary Clinton, especially if he sees the race is close and he could potentially help Clinton win? That remains to be seen, but don’t rule out the possibility.
Featured Image Via Wikimedia available under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License
