At some point the blame for what Trumps appointees do has to come back to Trump. He appointed them. You can’t delegate responsibility
Trump is from the private sector where your “word is your bond.” You don’t last long if you lie, cheat or steal. My guess many of these Deep State goons lied to get appointed and pretended they were on his side, while all the time they were seeking to undermine him. This is SOP in politics. I have seen it happen to my friends in politics who were stabbed in the back by some of their “trusted appointees.”
Powell is worth 112 million and was an Obama appointee and an Ivy League elitest. My guess is that he gave Trump lip service like David Souter gave GHWB. When you discover their treachery as an appointee, fire them! Let the chips fall where they may.