Comey sought more funds for Russia probe before Trump fired him -NYT

Thomson Reuters

WASHINGTON, May 10 (Reuters) - Former FBI Director James Comey had requested additional funding and personnel for the agency's probe into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election just days before he was fired, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

Comey, fired by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, had asked Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein last week for a significant boost in resources and later briefed U.S. lawmakers on the request, the New York Times said, citing three unnamed officials.

Speaking to the Times Senator Richard J. Durbin said, "I'm told that as soon as Rosenstein arrived, there was a request for additional resources for the investigation and that a few days afterwards, he was sacked."

"I think the Comey operation was breathing down the neck of the Trump campaign and their operatives, and this was an effort to slow down the investigation," said Durbin.

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