Assistant Attorney General involved in Clinton review a friend of John Podesta, emails show

The assistant attorney general for legislative affairs, who is playing a role in the latest review of Hillary Clinton's email investigation, is apparently a close friend of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, who he kept "out of jail," according to stolen emails released by WikiLeaks.

On Monday, Peter Kadzik sent a letter to Congress, assuring ranking Democrats that the freshly-opened Clinton probe into new documents, which were unearthed during the FBI's investigation of former disgraced Rep. Anthony Weiner's sexting scandal, would be handled hastily.

"We assure you that the Department will continue to work closely with the FBI and together, dedicate all necessary resource and take appropriate steps as expeditiously as possible," Kadzik wrote.

However, the fact that Kadzik's name has emerged in any part of the renewed look into Clinton's use of a private email server may be disconcerting to some, given he — according to emails highlighted by Heat Street — has a longstanding history with Podesta.

Before working for the federal government, in a position Podesta recommended him for, Kadzik represented the longtime Clinton aide during the Monica Lewinsky affair in the 1990s, when Podesta testified before the Kenneth Starr commission.

In a Sept. 8, 2008, email, when then-Democratic nominee Barack Obama was beginning to piece together his Justice Department, Podesta put Kadzik's name out there. "Willing to help. Kept me out of jail. ... Think he would be an excellent vet lead," he wrote at the time.

Kadzik's son, PJ, also reached out to Podesta in a May 5, 2015, email, asking for a job on the Clinton campaign.

And the tie between Podesta and Kadzik doesn't seem to be just professional, either. According to emails from WikiLeaks, the two men met for dinner at Podesta's home in October 2015 and again in January 2016.

As the head of the Office of Legislative Affairs, Kadzik is responsible for communications between the Justice Department and Congress. Though he is not directly involved in the FBI's work, he does have direct access to investigators who are reviewing the Clinton emails.