 Hillary Clinton has an explanation for Vladimir Putin's alleged involvement in the hacking of Democratic organizations during the 2016 presidential election: The Russian leader has a longtime grudge against her, dating back to 2011 when she was secretary of state and made comments that were critical of Russia's parliamentary elections. Add Interest 
 
 Two Clinton donors tell ABC News that Clinton made the claim Thursday night at Manhattan's Plaza Hotel during an event dubbed a "thank you" party, at which she expressed her gratitude to donors. In an audio recording from the event obtained by The New York Times, Clinton can be heard saying that the hacking attacks were ordered by Putin "because he has a personal beef against me.” 
 
 “Putin publicly blamed me for the outpouring of outrage by his own people, and that is the direct line between what he said back then and what he did in this election,” Clinton said, The New York Times reported. Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post Thursday with the headline "Something is deeply broken at the FBI," calling the department out for what he said was a "lackadaisical response to the very real Russian plot to subvert a national election." Her comments and Thursday's event -- as well as comments she has made at other private functions since the elections -- indicate that Clinton is still mulling why she lost. Putin blamed Clinton for the protests, accusing her of inciting them and saying she immediately tried to egg them on. "The first thing that the secretary of state did was say that they [the elections] were not honest and not fair, but she had not even yet received the material from the observers. The 2011 protests against Putin arose without any involvement from the U.S., but is widely believed that Putin thinks Clinton and her State Department were out to get him.
– Hillary Clinton spoke at a "thank you" party for donors Thursday night in New York—complete with attendees who cried as she spoke, per ABC News—and she says two "unprecedented" events led to her stunning defeat in the election, the New York Times reports. Clinton first addressed the 11th-hour letter released by FBI Director James Comey before the election that dredged up her email scandal. "Swing-state voters made their decisions in the final days breaking against me because of the FBI letter from Director Comey," she told the crowd. Clinton also blamed the hacking of Democratic emails on Vladimir Putin because of a "personal beef" between the two, stemming from her claims that Russia's parliamentary elections in 2011 were fixed. "Putin publicly blamed me for the outpouring of outrage by his own people, and that is the direct line between what he said back then and what he did in this election," she said. (CNN notes Putin pointed the finger at then-Secretary of State Clinton for protests that broke out after his country's 2011 election.) "This is an attack against our country," she said. "We are well beyond normal political concerns here. This is about the integrity of our democracy and the security of our nation." Clinton also told the supporters in the room—Vogue editor Anna Wintour and film producer Harvey Weinstein among them—to stay involved in the Democratic Party and not give up hope. (John Podesta's latest take on the FBI.)