Clinton said the campaign's data saw her numbers plunge after the first letter, then rebound. | Getty Clinton blames Comey letters for defeat

In a conference call with her top campaign contributors on Saturday afternoon, Hillary Clinton pinned the blame for her defeat on FBI Director James Comey's letters about her email arrangement.

Speaking with Democrats who raised over $100,000 for her failed bid for the presidency, the former secretary of state said Comey's second letter — just three days before the election — did more damage than the first, which landed 11 days out, according to one individual on the call, who described her tone as clearly sad but hopeful.


Clinton told participants that the campaign's data saw her numbers plunge after the first letter, then rebound. But the second letter, she said, awakened Donald Trump's voters.

The thrust of the call was about the need to stay active and the importance of supporting local, state and national candidates in the future, the person added, noting that Clinton encouraged them to speak out, run for office and not give up despite the dispiriting loss.

Clinton has kept a low profile since delivering the concession speech after her stunning loss on Wednesday morning, but finger-pointing has begun among Democrats about what went wrong. The 32-minute call represents some of her first comments since then.