Purported Emails Coaching Syria's Assad on US Interview Exposed

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was coached on how to answer accusations over his regime's brutal repression of the 11-month old revolt, according to purported emails released by a hacking group known as 'Anonymous'.

Anonymous claimed to have infiltrated the server of the Syrian Ministry of Presidential Affairs and exposed the emails and passwords of scores of Syrian officials.

The most damning email exchange discussed how Assad should address accusations in an interview with ABC's Barbara Walters. Sheherazad Ja'afari, Syria's press attaché at the United Nations and daughter of the Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations, wrote that the "American psyche can be easily manipulated when they hear that there are 'mistakes' done and now we are 'fixing it,'" adding not to "talk reform. American's won't care, or understand that."

Indeed during his interview with Walters in December, Assad ascribed some of the reports of violence to "individual mistakes."