Several personal emails sent by former Secretary of State Colin Powell were leaked on Tuesday, and reveal his thoughts on "national disgrace" and "international pariah" Donald Trump.
The emails were obtained by DCLeaks.com, a website that reportedly has ties to Russian intelligence services, and seen by BuzzFeed. In a July 17, 2016, email to journalist Emily Miller, a former aide, Powell made his remarks about Trump being a "disgrace" and "pariah," adding he was in the "process of destroying himself" and there was "no need for Dems to attack him." On August 21, he wrote to Miller that the "whole birther movement was racist. That's what the 99 percent believe. When Trump couldn't keep that up he said he also wanted to see if the certificate noted that he was a Muslim. … As I have said before, 'What if he was?' Muslims are born as Americans everyday."
In a December email to CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Powell said the press is Trump's "oxygen," and they are "playing his game," BuzzFeed reports. He also said he doesn't like talking about Trump publicly because "to go on and call him an idiot just emboldens him." Powell told BuzzFeed he had "no further comment. I'm not denying it."