The leader of Donald Trump’s personal legal team is said to have forwarded an email to conservative journalists and government officials that echoed secessionist Civil War propaganda.

John Dowd, Mr Trump’s personal lawyer, is reported to have received the email on Tuesday night and forwarded it on Wednesday morning – less than a day after Mr Trump controversially compared the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee to one of George Washington.

“You cannot be against General Lee and be for General Washington,” the email, obtained by the New York Times, reads. “There literally is no difference between the two men.”

In a list giving examples of why Mr Lee and Mr Washington are similar, the email says that “both saved America” despite the fact that the Confederacy lost the Civil War.

According to the Times, the email’s author, Jerome Almon, runs several websites alleging government conspiracies and asserting that Islamic terrorists have infiltrated the FBI.

Mr Almon’s email also asserts that Black Lives Matter, a group that campaigns against violence and systemic racism toward black people, is being directed by terrorists.

The Times reported that Mr Dowd sent Mr Almon’s email to more than two dozen people, including a senior official at the Department of Homeland Security, The Wall Street Journal editorial page and journalists at Fox News and The Washington Times.

There is no evidence that any of the journalists used the contents of the email in their coverage, the Times said.

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

The contents of the email reflect a muddy controversy over race and history. Mr Trump has received bipartisan criticism for his for his comments on Tuesday insisting that white supremacists, neo-Nazis and other hate groups did not deserve 100 per cent of the blame for the violence that engulfed Charlottesville, Virginia last Saturday.

White nationalist demonstrators descended on the city in Virginia to protest the removal of Lee's statue. The rally, met by counter-protests, quickly became violent – prompting the governor to declare a ‘state of emergency’.

The President, speaking at a news conference in Trump Tower, also criticised “alt-left” groups that he claimed were “very, very violent” when they sought to confront the nationalist and Nazi groups, again saying there is “blame on both sides” and that “there are two sides to the story.”

“Many of those people were there to protest the taking down of the statue of Robert E Lee,” Mr Trump said. “This week, it is Robert E Lee and this week, Stonewall Jackson. Is it George Washington next? You have to ask yourself, where does it stop?” he said, later noting that both the first and third American presidents had owned slaves.

“George Washington was a slave owner. Are we gonna take down statues of George Washington? ... you're changing history, you're changing culture...you had many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists. And the press has treated them absolutely unfairly.”