Most of the media coverage of Powell’s leaked emails has gone to his comments about the Republican presidential candidate. Powell, who served three Republican presidents, describes Trump as a “national disgrace” and an “international pariah,” while slamming the “racist” movement he’s leading. In other emails, Powell says Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, one of Trump’s closest advisers, is “right-wing nutty” and “a jerk.”
But Powell’s comments about Clinton, though less incendiary, do not suggest he’s running to her candidacy with open arms. This one is particularly notable:
That’s some email! And, while I can’t speak for Powell, it’s not how a lot of (most?) people talk about their friends. (I talk about my friends like that.)
In other exchanges, Powell expresses frustration at the Clinton campaign’s decision to scapegoat him for her decision to use a private email server. Per The Intercept, in one email, Powell writes, “Sad thing. HRC could have killed this two years ago by merely telling everyone honestly what she had done and not tie me to it.” And in another: “I told her staff three times not to try that gambit. I had to throw a mini tantrum at a Hampton’s party to get their attention. She keeps tripping into these ‘character’ minefields.” And in another, to Jeffrey Leeds, Powell once more uses “dick” to great effect:
“They are going to dick up the legitimate and necessary use of emails with friggin record rules. I saw email more like a telephone than a cable machine. As long as the stuff is unclassified. I had a secure State.gov machine. Everything HRC touches she kind of screws up with hubris.”
Colin Powell is clearly better at writing emails than building the case for illegal wars.