FBI investigates DNC hacking; Russians blamed

WASHINGTON -- The FBI said Monday it is investigating how thousands of Democratic National Committee emails were hacked, a breach Hillary Clinton's campaign maintains was committed by Russia to benefit Donald Trump.

A statement from the FBI confirmed it is "investigating a cyber intrusion involving the DNC," adding "a compromise of this nature is something we take very seriously."

Wikileaks posted emails Friday that suggested the DNC was favoring Clinton over her rival Sen. Bernie Sanders during the primary season, prompting Clinton's campaign to point to a massive hacking of DNC computers in June, which cybersecurity firms linked to the Russian government.

Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta added fuel to the debate Monday, saying there was "a kind of bromance going on" between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump.

The Clinton campaign said Russia favors Trump's views, especially on NATO.

Donald Trump on Monday dismissed as a "joke" claims by Hillary Clinton's campaign Russia is trying to help Trump by leaking thousands of emails from the Democratic National Committee.

"The new joke in town is that Russia leaked the disastrous DNC e-mails, which should have never been written (stupid), because Putin likes me," Trump wrote as part of a series of tweets. "Hillary was involved in the e-mail scandal because she is the only one with judgement (sic) so bad that such a thing could have happened."

The hacking enraged die-hard Sanders supporters who have claimed the DNC had its finger on the scale throughout the primaries.

The disclosures prompted the resignation of DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz on the eve of the party's convention in Philadelphia.