Powell admonished Clinton not to make him scapegoat for e-mail scandal

Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell warned Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her staff not to make him a scapegoat in the controversy over Clinton's use of a private e-mail server, according to e-mail from Powell that was leaked online on Tuesday.  In a message to one of his friends, the former top diplomat said Clinton "could have killed this two years ago by merely telling everyone honestly what she had done and not tie me to it."  In another e-mail, he said " Dumb. She should have done a 'Full Monty' at the beginning," adding that "I am not sure HRC even knew or understood what was going on in the basement.”
Clinton's recent accusations that Powell bears indirect responsibility for her use of the server for work have contributed to the growing gap in the polls between her and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. According to a poll released on Wednesday by the Los Angeles Times, Trump now leads by almost 5 points, 46.7 percent to 42 percent.