Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Dies of COVID-19 Complications, He Was Fully Vaccinated

Colin Powell made history as the first African-American Secretary of State during the George W. Bush Administration.

At the time, Powell was the highest-ranking African-American in the history of the United States federal executive branch.

According to a family statement, Powell died of COVID-19 complications despite being fully vaccinated against the virus.

https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1450071878454939649

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has died after complications from COVID-19, according to a statement from his family on his Facebook page.

Absolutely tragic. pic.twitter.com/dI2BylPenS

— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) October 18, 2021

Colin Powell throughout the years: https://t.co/QumhPjvGM7

The former Secretary of State has died from COVID complications. He was 84 years old. https://t.co/HsMNtlhPBu pic.twitter.com/Y3iDIX74k4

— ABC News (@ABC) October 18, 2021

BREAKING: Colin Powell, 4-Star General and first African-American secretary of state, has died of Covid at the age of 84.

— Lavern Spicer 🇺🇸 (@lavern_spicer) October 18, 2021

Powell’s death is another ‘rare’ breakthrough COVID-19 infection.

It’s an unfortunate example that the experimental COVID-19 jabs don’t provide their advertised protection.

While the mainstream media emphasizes Powell dying of COVID-19 complications, they briefly mention his severe comorbidity that placed him in a high-risk cohort.

Seeing a lot of news alerts and headlines saying Colin Powell died of COVID while vaccinated, but virtually none of them mention that he had a massive co-morbidity: multiple myeloma, or blood cancer. This kind of thing is part of the problem

— Mathew Ingram (@mathewi) October 18, 2021

Prominent Twitter profiles shared their thoughts & feelings about the passing of Powell.

The former U.S. Secretary of State drew a mixture of statements:

That’s weird….

My experiences of being black man growing up in poverty didn’t make me a genocidal maniac on behalf of the very system that oppressed me. 🧐

— 🇵🇸 #FreePalestine #FreeGaza 🇵🇸 (@realnikohouse) October 18, 2021

Colin Powell was the most pivotal figure in selling the Iraq War to the American public and the world, and then became a media + liberal hero because he endorsed Democrats. That should be the obituary

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) October 18, 2021

https://twitter.com/sahouraxo/status/1450087623968571395

Mass murderer and war criminal Colin Powell, who lied to the United Nations and the world about WMDs in Iraq, leading to the death and displacement of millions of Iraqis; who helped destroy the Middle East under George Bush’s neocon administration, has just died. pic.twitter.com/IbEvleHEKT

— Richard Medhurst (@richimedhurst) October 18, 2021

God Bless Colin Powell and his family today. May this exemplary public servant Rest In Peace. https://t.co/c3cUTXShbT

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) October 18, 2021

RIP Colin Powell, a war criminal who lied to the UN and to Congress about Saddam Hussein possessing weapons of mass destruction; a lie that cost the lives of over 1 million Iraqis. pic.twitter.com/yGCRjXDk6Y

— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) October 18, 2021

I worked with Colin Powell in advocating for investment in early childhood development. He was generous and kind. And I know he was anguished and regretted his support of the invasion of Iraq. May he Rest In Peace.

— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) October 18, 2021

“His courage and integrity will be an inspiration for generations to come,” former Pres. Jimmy Carter says of Colin Powell following the former secretary of state's death. https://t.co/8Yk2WjIy7d pic.twitter.com/D8h2t3RWpT

— ABC News (@ABC) October 18, 2021

God speed Colin Powell. An American treasure. I’ve always kept a copy of his thirteen rules to live by near my desk. Stay in “the calm zone.” 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/2c4J85SRDn

— Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) October 18, 2021

We must honor General Colin Powell's memory by courageously defending democracy as he did throughout his career.

Gen. Powell was a remarkable man whose dedication and service to our country was admirable and truly inspiring.

May he Rest in Peace.

— Marcus Flowers (@Marcus4Georgia) October 18, 2021

The Colin Powell Republican no longer exists in the Republican Party | Analysis by Chris Cillizza https://t.co/GmP80Fdtpi

— CNN (@CNN) October 18, 2021

FOX News reported on Powell’s passing:

Powell, the first Black secretary of state, served in Bush’s Cabinet from 2001-2005, including during the tumultuous years following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The State Department described Powell, a Republican, as being “one of the foremost supporters” of taking “swift military action” against al Qaeda. Powell demanded “immediate” cooperation from Afghanistan and Pakistan in the U.S. effort to hunt down those responsible for the attacks.

By 2003, when the Bush administration’s focus had expanded to Iraq, Powell pushed for United Nations inspectors to investigate the claims that Saddam Hussein was manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. Powell presented intelligence to the U.N. in February 2003 that supported the administration’s claim that Iraq did have weapons of mass destruction and had the capabilities of producing more. In 2004, though, the State Department said some of the intelligence he presented was “found to be erroneous.” Powell, though, according to the State Department, felt military action should not begin “until a large coalition of allies and a long-term occupation plan were in place.” Despite his advice, the administration moved toward preemptive military action against Iraq.

While the majority of his term as secretary of state was focused on Afghanistan and Iraq, the State Department said Powell pursued other areas of U.S. foreign policy—including strengthening bilateral relationships with Russia and China—including his efforts to manage the U.S. withdrawal from the U.S.-Russian Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty, and the signing of the Moscow Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions in May 2002.

From CNN:

“General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from Covid 19,” the Powell family wrote on Facebook, noting he was fully vaccinated.

A source familiar with the matter said Powell had multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells that suppresses the body’s immune response. Even if fully vaccinated against Covid-19, those who are immunocompromised are at greater risk from the virus.

“We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American,” the family said.

Powell was a distinguished and trailblazing professional soldier whose career took him from combat duty in Vietnam to becoming the first Black national security adviser during the end of Ronald Reagan’s presidency and the youngest and first African American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush. His national popularity soared in the aftermath of the US-led coalition victory during the Gulf War, and for a time in the mid-90s, he was considered a leading contender to become the first Black President of the United States. But his reputation would be forever stained when, as George W. Bush’s first secretary of state, he pushed faulty intelligence before the United Nations to advocate for the Iraq War, which he would later call a “blot” on his record.

Bush said in a statement Monday that Powell was “a great public servant” who was “such a favorite of Presidents that he earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom — twice. He was highly respected at home and abroad. And most important, Colin was a family man and a friend.”