A new email scandal has leaked that purports to show how Colin Powell, the ex-Secretary of State who was succeeded by Condoleezza Rice, called the Benghazi investigation a ‘stupid witch hunt’. The full excerpt from the email in question goes on to say the fault of the incident lies with Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, one the casualties from the incident that took place in 2012. The email chain was between Powell and Condoleezza Rice, and the successor to Powell actually agreed with the statement.
In Rice’s response to Powell, she casually admits that she agrees with the fault being lain on the ambassador, and she goes on to ask Powell to let her know when he returns to town so they can enjoy a glass of wine together. Presumably, they planned to discuss more nefarious things while getting tipsy in the comfort of their sheltered world.
There were a total of four Americans who were lost as a result of the Benghazi incident, and the Republicans have used millions of dollars, all from the taxpayers, to investigate Hillary Clinton’s involvement in the event. There have been a total of seven investigations involving the incident, but none have uncovered any wrongdoing on the part of Clinton.
Powell apparently has held his opinion to himself for quite some time, primarily due to his Republican party affiliations, but his words should not be a surprise to anyone who understands the merits of the man. He was, after all, placed in charge of the armed forces of the United States during his time in the White House cabinet.
Powell continues to call himself a Republican to this day, but his opinions on Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, point to dissension within the Republican ranks. Hacked emails show that Powell has referred to Trump as a ‘national disgrace’ and an ‘international pariah’. The hack was so recent that it included emails from August 21st, 2016. Those emails contained language that criticized Donald Trump for his birther movement, which sought to disprove Obama’s right to the presidency. The email goes on to say that the birther movement also sought to prove Obama was actually a Muslim.
The emails were released by DCleaks.com, which is an underground hacking group dedicated to uncovering the corruption within Washington. Of course, the group has been accused of having ties to Russia by prominent conservatives, which typically means they are on the right track with their investigations. Whether or not the group has truly good or bad intentions, there is no denying the authenticity of the emails. Powell himself even confirmed the emails were real, so their source doesn’t really matter. Powell has refused to comment further on the scandal, yet he doesn’t deny the emails.
These conversations were not supposed to reach the public eye, and that goes to show just how the Republican base treats their opposition. It points to the idea that the Republicans were simply taking advantage of a horrible incident in order to unnecessarily investigate one of the most likely Democratic candidates for president.
These emails also confirm something even more important, which is that Trump purposely created the birther movement in an effort to discredit Obama and attack him for his black heritage. When that plan didn’t succeed, Trump directed his group to attack the Muslim religion, of which he believes Obama is a member. That points to another prejudice that Trump is basing his political ideals around. Fortunately for all those involved, which includes everyone in the United States, these revelations are coming to light on the correct side of the election, giving the public time to prepare.