Story highlights Hillary Clinton says former Secretary of State Colin Powell advised her to use private email

Notes from FBI interview and upcoming book reveal Clinton's explanation

(CNN) Hillary Clinton told the FBI that her predecessor Colin Powell recommended that she use a private email account during her tenure as Secretary of State, according to a new report.

The New York Times reported on the revelation Thursday, based on notes from Clinton's interview with the FBI about her server that were delivered to Congress this week, and on a preview of a book about Bill Clinton's post-presidential years.

The notes from the FBI's interview with Clinton, conducted during its probe of the issue, reveal that she told investigators that Powell had advised her to use a private account.

Additionally, an excerpt from journalist Joe Conason's upcoming book on Bill Clinton, "Man of the World: The Further Endeavors of Bill Clinton," provides more detail.

In the book, Conason recounts a scene at a dinner party in 2009 -- attended by other former Secretaries of State, including host Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice and Henry Kissinger, in addition to Powell -- where they each offered Clinton guidance and advice as she prepared to take the reins of the State Department.

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