Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Colin Powell

Controversies are a part of history. Explore the biggest scandals linked to Colin Powell.

Colin Powell was a prominent American statesman, diplomat, and army officer. He achieved several historic firsts, including serving as the first African-American United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. Earlier in his career, he was the 15th National Security Advisor (1987-1989) and the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-1993), solidifying his place as a significant figure in American political and military history.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1968: Mỹ Lai Massacre Investigation

In 1968, Colin Powell was charged with investigating a letter backing up rumored allegations of the Mỹ Lai massacre.

1973: Chilean coup d'état

In 1973, The Chilean coup d'état deposed Salvador Allende. Powell was critical of other aspects of U.S. foreign policy in the past, such as its support for the event.

November 1985: Legal Assessment of Missile Transfer

In November 1985, Colin Powell delivered a legal assessment to Weinberger stating that the transfer of Hawk missiles to Israel or Iran without Congressional notification would be a clear violation of the law.

November 1986: Exposure of Iran-Contra Affair

In November 1986, the Iran-Contra affair, involving the transfer of missiles from Israel to Iran, was exposed in a Lebanese magazine.

2000: Powell's statement on Saddam Hussein

As early as 2000, on the day Colin Powell was nominated to be Secretary of State, he told the press "Saddam is sitting on a failed regime that is not going to be around in a few years time".

February 2001: Statement on Sanctions Against Iraq

In a press statement on 24 February 2001, Colin Powell stated that sanctions against Iraq had prevented the development of weapons of mass destruction by Saddam Hussein and favored international community involvement in any potential invasion.

2001: Action Against Al-Qaeda

In 2001, before 9/11, Richard A. Clarke pushed the new Bush administration for action against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, a move opposed by Paul Wolfowitz. Colin Powell refers to members of Donald Rumsfeld's staff as the "JINSA crowd."

February 2003: UN Presentation Sources

In February 2003, Colin Powell presented information at the UN that later proved to be based on wrong sources and inaccurate, contributing to the case for the Iraq War.

February 2003: UN Security Council Address

On 5 February 2003, Colin Powell addressed the United Nations Security Council to argue in favor of military action against Iraq, asserting Saddam Hussein's possession of biological weapons and efforts to obtain nuclear weapons components.

2003: Powell Believed Iraq Troop surge of 2007 should have come sooner

By mid-2009, Colin Powell had concluded a surge of U.S. forces in Iraq should have come sooner, perhaps in late 2003.

2003: Decision to go to war in Iraq

Colin Powell attributed the decision to go to war in Iraq in 2003 to the neoconservative belief that regime change in Baghdad "was a first and necessary stop on the road to peace in Jerusalem".

2003: Invasion of Iraq

In 2003 Colin Powell came under fire for his role in building the case for the invasion of Iraq.

2003: Views on Chilean Coup

In 2003, Colin Powell stated in two separate interviews that he could not justify or explain the actions and decisions that were made during the 1973 Chilean coup, acknowledging it was not a part of American history to be proud of.

2003: Faulty Intelligence

In 2003, The administration came under fire for having acted on faulty intelligence, particularly that which was single-sourced to the informant known as Curveball, which was used in Powell's UN speech.

2003: Powell Supports Bush's Decision to Invade Iraq

In 2003, after not being able to go through the U.N., Colin Powell stated that he supported President Bush's decision to invade Iraq.

May 2004: Comments on My Lai Massacre

In May 2004, Colin Powell commented on the Mỹ Lai massacre, acknowledging that such horrible things happen in war, during an interview with Larry King.

September 2004: Testimony Before Senate Committee

On 13 September 2004, Colin Powell testified before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, acknowledging that the sources who provided much of the information in his February 2003 UN presentation were "wrong" and that it was "unlikely" that any stockpiles of WMDs would be found.

2004: Inaccurate Evidence for WMDs

In 2004 a report by the Iraq Survey Group concluded that the evidence that Colin Powell offered to support the allegation that the Iraqi government possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) was inaccurate.

2004: Powell Reportedly Refers to Neoconservatives as "Fucking Crazies"

In 2004, during a conversation with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Colin Powell reportedly referred to neoconservatives within the Bush administration as "fucking crazies".

April 2005: Powell Expresses Reservations About John Bolton Nomination

In April 2005, Colin Powell privately expressed reservations to Republican senators about the nomination of John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations. He refrained from advising them to oppose Bolton, despite previous clashes.

April 2005: Blumenthal Claims Powell "Conducting a Campaign" Against Bolton

In April 2005, Sidney Blumenthal claimed that Powell was "conducting a campaign" against Bolton due to previous acrimonious battles, including Bolton allegedly spying on Powell.

September 2005: "Blot" on his Record

In September 2005, Colin Powell described his 2003 speech before the United Nations as a "blot" on his record during an interview with Barbara Walters.

September 2006: Powell Expresses Opposition to Bush's Military Tribunals

In September 2006, Colin Powell expressed opposition to President Bush's push for military tribunals of those formerly and currently classified as enemy combatants, objecting to redefining Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention.

September 2006: Powell Sides With Moderate Republicans on Detainee Rights

In September 2006, Powell sided with more moderate Senate Republicans in supporting more rights for detainees and opposing President Bush's terrorism bill, expressing concerns about the moral basis of the fight against terrorism.

December 2006: Powell Expresses Skepticism About Iraq Troop Surge

In December 2006, Colin Powell expressed skepticism that the Iraq troop surge strategy would work and whether the U.S. military had enough troops to carry it out successfully.

2007: Powell Discusses Consequences of Iraq Invasion With President Bush

At the 2007 Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, Colin Powell stated that he had spent two and a half hours explaining to President Bush "the consequences of going into an Arab country and becoming the occupiers".

2007: Antisemitism accusations

In 2007, concerns arose that Jewish groups would be accused of driving America into a war with Iran, referencing Powell's remarks about the "JINSA crowd" and raising fears of antisemitism.

2007: Powell's Position on Iraq War troop surge of 2007

Powell's position on the Iraq War troop surge of 2007 was less consistent.

October 2008: Powell Praises Petraeus and Troops on Iraq troop surge of 2007

In October 2008, following his endorsement of Barack Obama, Powell praised General David Petraeus and U.S. troops, as well as the Iraqi government, concluding that "it's starting to turn around".

2008: Powell Reiterates Support for 2003 Iraq Invasion

In a 2008 interview on CNN, Colin Powell reiterated his support for the 2003 decision to invade Iraq in the context of his endorsement of Barack Obama, stating that he supported the decision after failing to get U.N. approval.

2009: Powell Concludes Iraq Troop Surge Should Have Come Sooner

By mid-2009, Colin Powell had concluded a surge of U.S. forces in Iraq should have come sooner, perhaps in late 2003.

2012: Powell Calls Benghazi Controversy a "Stupid Witch Hunt"

In an email revealed in September 2016, Colin Powell referred to the 2012 Benghazi attack controversy surrounding Hillary Clinton as a "stupid witch hunt".

2013: Email Controversy

In 2013, Colin Powell faced scrutiny regarding his relationship with Romanian diplomat Corina Crețu after his hacked AOL email account was made public.

August 2016: Powell Accuses Clinton Campaign of Pinning Email Controversy on Him

In August 2016, Colin Powell accused the Hillary Clinton campaign of trying to pin her email controversy on him, stating that she was using the private server before he advised her on it.

September 2016: Emails Reveal Powell's Private Communications on Trump and Clinton

On 13 September 2016, emails were obtained that revealed Powell's private communications regarding both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton including the 2012 Benghazi attack controversy.

October 2019: Powell Warns GOP

In October 2019, Colin Powell cautioned that the Republican Party needed to prioritize the country over their party and confront President Trump.

January 2021: Powell Leaves Republican Party

In January 2021, following the attack on the Capitol building, Colin Powell declared that he could no longer identify as a Republican.

2021: Powell Leaves Republican Party

In 2021, Colin Powell recanted his status as a Republican following the storming of the United States Capitol on January 6th. He called for President Trump's resignation.