FBI took months to warn Democrats of suspected Russian role in hack: sources

Convention Chair Marcia Fudge and members of the rules committee address the first session of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 25, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO: The FBI did not tell the Democratic National Committee that US officials suspected it was the target of a Russian government-backed cyberattack when agents first contacted the party last fall, three people with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters. 

And in months of follow-up conversations about the DNC's network security, the FBI did not warn party officials that the attack was being investigated as Russian espionage, the sources said.