Podesta: FBI didn’t tell me about hacks until after WikiLeaks began publishing emails

Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said Sunday that the FBI did not tell him about Russia hacking into his email account until two days after WikiLeaks began publishing the stolen messages online. 

“The first time I was contacted by the FBI was two days after WikiLeaks started dropping my emails,” Podesta said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” 

The FBI and CIA have since concluded that Russia hacked, and leaked, emails belonging to Podesta and Democratic Party staffers in an attempt to help Donald Trump win the election, according to recent reports. 

Podesta and other Clinton staffers have long blamed Russia for the hacks. 

{mosads}But the president-elect continues to dismiss the allegations. 

Podesta also suggested the emails were released to distract from the Access Hollywood tape, which showed Trump bragging about grabbing and kissing women without their permission. 

“On Oct. 7, the Access Hollywood tape comes out. One hour later, WikiLeaks started dropping my emails into the public. One could say those things might not have been a coincidence,” Podesta said. 

“Two days later the FBI contacted me, and the first thing the agent said to me was ‘I don’t know if you’re aware but your email account may have been hacked.’ ” 

Podesta said that exchange was the first and last time he heard from the FBI about the hacking of his email account.